Heather Estler Gymnastics Page

Hi! My name is Heather Estler and I recently 'retired' as a level 9 gymnast from Durango, Colorado (right after regionals). I trained at Gold Rush Gymnastics Academy in Durango with Liz and Mark Herring.

My Dad is helping me with this web page so that I may get some email pen pals with other gymnasts around the world. I just turned fifteen and I started to go to the gym (once a week for about an hour) when I was three. I started competing when I was seven, a Level 5 meet in Sante Fe, New Mexico in September 1992.

The summer of 1996 I got to go to Bela Karolyi's gym camp in Houston. It was great to meet Kim Zmeskal, Dominique Moceanu and Kerri Strug right before the Olympic trials!

These are my 1998-99 teammates (levels 7-9)

The summer of '97 I went to camp at Aerials in Colorado Springs. I got some great coaching for Tom Forster and Vladimir Artemov and I was able to watch Theresa Kulikowski work out.

But the best part was meeting Amanda Borden!

This is my double full on the first pass of my level 9 floor routine - still needs some work - but you should have have seen my first one!

Here are my Level 9 results for the 98-99 year.

Date	Meet	Host Gym	Vault	Bars	Beam	Floor	All Around
1/23/99		Los Alamos Gymnastics Academy - New Mexico	1st	1st	1st	1st	1st
2/12/99		Green Mountain Gymnastics - Denver	1st	1st	1st	1st	1st
2/13/99		Flyers - Boulder	1st	2nd	1st	2nd	1st
2/27/99	Pikes Peak Cup	Aerials - Colorado Springs	5th	5th	6th	8th	3rd
3/6/99	Grand Junction Optional Invitational	Grand Junction Gymnastics	2nd	2nd	2nd	4th	2nd
3/27/99	Colorado State Championship (I had a bad day)	United States Air Force Academy	8.75 15th	8.4 14th	9.15 7th	8.55 -	34.85 13th Qualified for Regionals!
4/16/99	Regionals, Reg III (OK,TX,CO,KS, WY,NM,AR) (I had a good day!)	Dynamo Gymnastics, Oklahoma City	9.175 13th	9.2 23rd	9.175 -	8.95 -	36.50 23rd

Right after awards at Regionals
with my coach Mark Herring.

Update since 1999 - Tragically, my long time coach Mark Herring died suddenly of heart failure associated with Marfan Syndrome - I miss him very much. And in January of 2002 I had my own personal trauma - a bad car accident in which I shattered my T12 vertebrae. The doctors said I probably would have been in worse shape if it hadn't been for the strength I developed in gymnastics.

But it has all worked out - after the spinal fusion and a year of hardware in my back, I celebrated its removal and a lot of physical therapy with a handstand on the top of Engineer Mountain here in Durango. And I can sometimes be found in a 'stag' at Colorado State University where I attend college. Can't seem to stop working out!

Last modified 1/27/2005