While many youngsters have participated in gymnastics in the Bulloch County area, no one has managed to advance to the national level. That all changed this past weekend as Bulloch Academy junior Carmen Derriso claimed a top-8 spot in this weekend’s regionals held in Sarasota, Fla., and will advance to nationals in Salt Lake City, Utah next month.
“We were all watching the scores and then when we saw that I made it we were all crying,” Derriso said. “I think the key to advancing to nationals was being consistent in all around. I’ve had to overcome a few injuries but I felt really good recently and it was just surreal when I found out I was one of the girls going to nationals. It is really a dream come true.”
Derriso has been a Level-10 competitor for five years, which is the elite level of competition. She competes in the all-around which is comprised of balance beam, floor, bars and vault. Only a small percentage of competitive gymnasts, about 2%, make it to the Elite Level. Derriso trains at Coman Gymnastics Academy with coach Adrian Coman who says Derriso’s hard work is evident in the 26 hours or more she puts in every week.
“Carmen puts in so much hard work in the gym every day for about four hours a day,” Coman said. “She makes a lot of sacrifices to be this good. I think she has really continued to show improvement in her routines as well as her confidence. I am excited to see what she can do when she is competing against the highest level possible throughout the United States.”
Derriso was the 2025 USAG Georgia state champion on bars when she competed earlier this year. Coach Coman advised Carmen to scale back the difficulty in some of her routines at regionals in order to try and advance to nationals. Now that they are heading to nationals Coman and Derriso are ramping up the difficulty to adjust to what she will see and to try and attract college recruiters.
“One of the keys to doing so well at regionals was watering down my routines,” Carmen said. “Me and coach Adrian felt it was safer and gave me a better chance at moving on. Now that we are going to nationals, we are going to make things a little more difficult. My dream is to be on a gymnastic team in college and I really want to impress the college recruiters there in Utah.”
Most Level-10 gymnasts are home schooled, which affords them more time for training. Derriso is a full-time student at Bulloch Academy, which makes for some pretty packed days, but her mother Tiffany is glad she is able to get as much of a typical high school life as is possible with the work she puts in.
“We just chose private Christian schools for our kids and she has enjoyed being in a classroom with other people her age,” Derriso said. “Carmen went to Trinity Christian school from preschool until eighth grade. She transferred to Bulloch Academy for high school and has really enjoyed it. She has been training since she was 6 years old and we are so proud of what she has accomplished and are looking forward to watching her at nationals in Utah."
The 2025 USA Gymnastics Men's & Women's Development Program National Championships will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the Mountain America Expo Center May 9-11 and will be live streamed.
