Gina Provenzano

Modesto High School Senior

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Gina can do back flips around some of her peers — literally.

She has been taking gymnastics classes since she was 18 months old and has gained much success from the sport. In addition, she has applied her gymnastics training to diving for her school.

Gina is on a competitive gymnastics team and competes in trampoline and tumbling. Through gymnastics, she has competed at the state and national levels. She has won nine state titles, which allowed her to compete in nationals four times, though she qualified five.

Gina Provenzano, 17, a senior at Modesto High for Teen Hall of Fame. (Marty Bicek / The Modesto Bee)

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She has traveled all across the United States for gymnastics, including to Houston, Chicago, Memphis and Florida. There, she competed in both trampoline and tumbling, and a third event called double money.

Said Gina, "I've gained everything through gymnastics — discipline, time management, competing in front of a lot of people, perseverance, setting goals and working hard to accomplish them — a bunch of things."

Gina has even judged trampoline competitions, which she qualified for after passing a test to become a judge.

She has been on the diving team since she started high school. She is able to apply some of the same techniques that she learned in gymnastics to diving. However, she mentioned that the mind-sets for gymnastics and diving are different, because diving is more for a team and for a school, while gymnastics is based upon the individual rather than the group.

She added, "Diving's a lot scarier at first, because you're backward and you're going forward, but it's better than trampoline because the pain isn't long-term."

She said injuries are the hardest part of both sports, which she's dealt with often, including in a hip injury last February. Because of it, she had to miss both the diving and trampoline seasons and even had trouble sitting in class for long periods of time. After surgery in October followed by two weeks on crutches, she was able to go back to gymnastics.

"When I got back, I wasn't afraid anymore," she said. "I know what I want and I have clearer goals."

In addition to her athletic successes, Gina played French horn until her junior year and played in Honor Band both her sophomore and junior year. She was able to play in Beijing at the Olympics in August, among 2,000 other people from around the world.

Even with her busy schedule, Gina is able to maintain a 4.71 GPA and hopes to be a part of the diving team at college.

• • •

FAMILY: Parents, Joe and Lisa; Siblings, Destie, 19, and Noelle, 15

HOBBIES: Gymnastics, trampoline and bouncing on it for fun

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My older sister

LAST BOOK I READ FOR PLEASURE: "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn"

FAVORITE TV SHOW: "Grey's Anatomy"

FAVORITE MOVIE: "Hotel Rwanda"

FAVORITE BAND: The Fray

BIGGEST FEAR: 10-meter platform diving

WHAT I'D TELL THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.

ADVICE FOR KIDS: Work hard and go for your dreams.

ADVICE FOR ADULTS: Teach kids their mistakes so they don't make them again.

WHERE I'LL BE IN 10 YEARS: I will have accomplished all of my goals athletically and will be happy with my diving career, graduated and done with school.

— Victoria Pardini , Teens In The Newsroom

The Teen Hall of Fame honoree receives a $100 check from E.&J. Gallo Winery, movie tickets from Dr. Randy Winter with the Modesto Arts Medical Group, a gift card from Yogurt Mill and bowling passes from Yosemite Lanes.