November 10, 2005PALM DESERT - Yvette Leizorek has never won a Desert Valley League title or celebrated a CIF championship like some of her classmates at Palm Desert High School.
However, Leizorek has something no other female athlete has accomplished at Palm Desert. Leizorek earned a full athletic scholarship to NCAA Division I Boise State University to compete in gymnastics.
The CIF offers gymnastics programs in some sections throughout California, but in the Southern Section, specifically Riverside County and the Desert Valley League, there are no school-sponsored gymnastics teams. According to the CIF state Web site, there are 896 participating gymnasts statewide.
"When I first moved here (from San Diego) in middle school, my Mom asked me what I wanted to do with my gymnastics," said Leizorek, a national champion in Level 9, who trains five days per week in Temecula. "She said that if we were moving to the golf and tennis capital of the world, then maybe I could try something different. But I love gymnastics."
Leizorek has been competing on a national level since she was 9 years old and has since advanced to Level 10, the highest division of amateur competition.
"It's nice to see that Palm Desert students, whether competing in or out of DVL-offered sports, can excel and are being recognized," Osborne said.
"It looks a little like Palm Desert with all the mountains," she said. "But it's a lot greener. I really liked the campus. I know it's going to snow in the winter, but I think that will be fun. I loved the girls (BSU team) and the coaches. They were honest and friendly and made me feel at home."
The Rancho Mirage resident, who plans to major in biomedical science, doesn't believe she's missed anything due to her grueling practice schedules and long hours of training and competitions.
"I get to see my friends at school and I know I can see them the very next day," she said. "School is my No. 1 priority, then comes gymnastics and then my friends.
"People ask me on Saturday to do things and Friday is our night off at the gym, so they know we have to have a life. The gym is our other life, but you have to give up a little to get a little more in the future."
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