Nikita Ducarroz rides at Daniel Dhers Action Sports Complex on February 02, 2021. // Robert Snow/Red Bull Content Pool
Daniel Dhers Action Sports Complex
The Holly Springs Industrial Park has some hidden gems. On the “newer” side is the Daniel Dhers Action Sports Complex, which opened back in 2014. The complex was built by five-time X-Games Gold Medalist and Holly Springs resident Daniel Dhers. This year, Daniel, along with Holly Springs residents Nikita Ducarroz, Justin Dowell, Perris Benegas (Fuquay-Varina) and former resident Hanna Roberts, will be headed to compete in the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Hanna, Justin and Perris will all be competing for Team USA, while Daniel will be competing for his home country of Venezuela, and Nikita will be competing for Switzerland. This is the first year that BMX park/freestyle will be in the Olympics, and Hanna and Nikita will be battling for the gold in Japan, after taking gold and silver at the World Championships in Montpelier, France, in June. Be sure to cheer them on! The competition in Tokyo starts on July 31.
Sonshine Gymnastics
Another amazing facility in the Industrial Park is Sonshine Gymnastics, founded in 2002. It is owned and operated by Milan and Heidi Stanovich. They recently shared their mission with us.
“We are a Christian-owned, family-oriented gymnastics facility committed to providing a positive and safe environment for every child that comes to Sonshine Gymnastics. We are devoted through the medium of gymnastics to helping parents teach their children the positive life skills of discipline, fitness, and self-confidence.”
The gym consistently churns out collegiate gymnastics competitors. Every year, roughly four to six of their athletes are offered scholarships, and often from some big-name schools. The University of Florida, University of Georgia, The Air Force Academy and NC State either currently have, or have recently had, Sonshine gymnasts on their teams.
The USAG (USA Gymnastics) team programs consistently attain state, regional and national recognition. In addition to their highly competitive USAG and tumble teams, they’ve been successful with recreational gymnastics programs, while also offering non-competitive events like birthday parties and track-out camps.
The past year has dealt everyone challenges. The gym is holding strong given the circumstances, and the following accolades from this season show just that.
Compulsory Team @ State Meet
Level 2, 1st place and two All-Around State Champions
Level 3, 3rd place
Level 4, 2nd place and three All-Around State Champions
Optional Team
State Meet Results:
Level 6, 2nd place | Six qualified to Regionals and two athletes made the State Team
Level 7, 4th place | Three qualified to Regionals and one athlete made the State Team
Level 8, 3rd place | Fifteen qualified to Regionals and one athlete made the State Team
Level 9, 2nd place | All eight qualified to Regionals and one Vault State Champion, one Bars State Champion, one Beam State Champion and two Floor State Champions
Level 10, 4th place | Eleven qualified to Regionals, three Floor State Champions and one Beam Champion
Regional Meet Results:
Level 9 | Five qualified to Eastern Nationals, one Regional Bars Champion and two Regional Floor Champions
Level 10 | Five qualified for Junior Olympics Nationals, one Regional Bars Champion, two Regional Beam Champions and one Regional Floor Champion
Here are the local girls at Nationals:
Emily Mueller
My name is Emily Mueller, and I am a current senior at Sonshine. This year, I had the amazing opportunity to represent both Sonshine Gymnastics and Region 8 Gymnastics at the 2021 J.O. National Championships. 2021 was my first year qualifying to Nationals and I was so beyond excited to show off all of the hard work that my coaches, family, and I have put in! I am so grateful to have earned this opportunity to compete among some of the most talented athletes in our sport, and it is an experience that I will cherish forever! This fall, I will be attending The University of Arizona and competing for their gymnastics team. So excited to carry on the legacy of Sonshine Gymnastics to the NCAA! I am so thankful for the endless support from my coaches, teammates, and family throughout my J.O. career; I definitely would not have made it this far without them!
Caroline Volk
My name is Caroline Volk, and I am a competitive level 10 gymnast at Sonshine. This past season, I qualified for level 10 J.O. Nationals. The feeling of making Nationals was an unexplainable feeling. The feeling of my hard work, intense training, and countless hours in the gym paying off. The feeling of finally accomplishing the one thing my mind was set on from the beginning of level 10. The feeling of earning the opportunity to compete with the top gymnasts in the country. Getting to this point, however, was definitely not as glorious and rewarding as being out on the floor, representing the National Team. This past year was filled with more obstacles than anyone was prepared for. At times it was hard to focus on the idea of Nationals, while there was a chance that it, too, would be canceled. Making Nationals taught me that it is worth pushing through the challenges along the way for the amazing achievements in the future. Moving forward, I hope to continue training and competing with the same drive that took me to Nationals.
Quinn Kuhl
My name is Quinn Kuhl, and I am a competitive level 10 gymnast at Sonshine. Qualifying for the 2021 J.O. Nationals this year and being able to represent Region 8 as well as Sonshine was a huge accomplishment especially after the year we have had with COVID and being out of the gym for so long. After the season being cut short last year, making Nationals this year was my goal from the beginning, so the feeling of qualifying was unexplainable. In the future, my dream is to compete as a D1 collegiate gymnast and hopefully receive a scholarship. This is not easy, and I know I will need to focus, do what is required to avoid injury and work extra hard in the gym every day. I made it to this point by centering my life around gymnastics and making the commitment to show up to practice every day, do what the coaches ask and try my hardest. It’s not always easy, but I will keep doing my best.
Lauren Keener
My name is Lauren Keener, and I am a senior at Sonshine Gymnastics! I started gymnastics at the young age of three and have been doing it ever since! Making Nationals was a rewarding moment that made all the hard work and challenges worth it. With previous injuries and COVID shutting everything down last year, this was my last chance to make Nationals as a USAG gymnast. I was so grateful to be there and surrounded by some of the most amazing talent. I finally felt like my hard work had paid off while I was competing and representing Region 8! I will join the Towson University gymnastics team this fall, where I will study biology. Making it to this point took a lot of dedication, discipline, and especially hard work. The incredible support from my friends, family, and teammates have also helped get me where I am today!
Riley Sorrell
My name is Riley Sorrell, and I am a third-year level 10 at Sonshine Gymnastics. I was recently blessed with the opportunity of making it to J.O. Nationals and competing with the Region 8 team. I had never made it to Nationals before and even though I did not have my best meet, I had a fun and unforgettable experience. This was my first ever full level 10 season since I have had to battle injuries in the past, so getting to Nationals was a huge accomplishment for me. I plan to keep working hard so I am able to make it to Nationals again and then eventually I would like to get a scholarship so I can continue gymnastics in college. I am so thankful to my parents, my teammates, and my coaches for helping me make it this far and encouraging me every step of the way, I would not have been able to do it without them.
Morgan Rothert
Hi! My name is Morgan Rothert, currently training level 9 at Sonshine. This past year, I competed level 9 and made it to Eastern Nationals for the Junior 1 division. To get me to this point, I had to work on my confidence in myself. Personally, I am a very nervous kid, so I needed to work on believing in my gymnastics abilities. I also needed to not just do my gymnastics, but make it look good. Eastern Nationals was fun because I got to compete with people from Region 8 who had to do the same thing as me. It was also fun because we got to hang out with my teammates and coaches. I really enjoyed this because it was my first big competition. In the future with my gymnastics, I would like to try to make level 10 Nationals. I would also like to get a college scholarship. This has been a great year and I would like to thank my parents and coaches for getting me to this point.
Sophia Marks
Hi, my name is Sophia Marks, and I train at Sonshine as a level 9 gymnast. I recently won the Floor at Eastern Nationals in the Junior 2 division. To get myself to this point I needed to have hard work and dedication. My attendance and support from my family, friends, and coaches helped me the most during my season. Eastern Nationals was fun and nerve-wracking. I loved meeting all of the new girls on my team. Easterns was the first big meet that I have been to, and I am really happy that I was able to compete and have fun. In the future I am looking forward to being a level 10 from learning all of the new skills during my summer training. I hope to win an event or the All-Around at Nationals and get a scholarship to college gymnastics.
Claire Cashion
Hi, my name is Claire Cashion, and I am a level 9 gymnast at Sonshine. I have been at Sonshine for almost four years now. To get me to this point I needed to work on my confidence. So, I decided that I needed to come in extra on a couple of days just to work on the little things. Eastern Nationals was one of the best experiences of my life. The girls that I met were so sweet and cheered me on the whole way. This was the first big competition that I have had in my career. Once I finish high school, I really want to strive to become a gymnast at the University of Utah. I really want to thank my parents and coaches for always supporting me and what I do.
Olivia Norris
Hello, my name is Olivia Norris. I have been a gymnast at Sonshine for my entire gymnastics career and I just competed at level 9 Eastern Nationals. To get me to this point I had to learn to believe in myself and trust my gymnastics. I didn’t have a strong start to my season, but I didn’t let that affect me. I didn’t let the stress get to me. Eastern Nationals was new and exciting. I got to compete with new people and a new leo. The night before the meet, I went to dinner with my teammates. I also got to hang out with them a lot and just have fun. What I hope for in my future is to make it to level 10 Nationals. I also want to get a full scholarship for gymnastics. I owe my successes to my coaches and parents. They always believed in me.
Ariana Barksdale
Hi, I’m Ariana Barksdale, and I train at Sonshine. I recently won the All-Around at Eastern Nationals Championships in the Junior 1 division this past season. To get me to this point, I had to be fully committed to my attendance and push through some of my struggle points. I also worked and pushed for more advanced routines to highlight some of my strengths. After placing 3rd at the State Championships, I wanted to win Regionals, but got 2nd. I stayed motivated and set a personal goal to get at least a 38.0 at Nationals and ended up getting a 38.275, which was my highest score all year. My family and coaches believed in me and supported me all the way through. Eastern Nationals was fun and exciting, and I made some new friends in the process. The Region 8 team leotards and gear were awesome to have. The night before the meet, we had a Sonshine team dinner. It was fun for my teammates and our families to be together. What I hope for in my future with gymnastics is to make it to level 10 or higher. I want to work towards winning the AA at level 10 Nationals. I would love to make the Olympic team someday or get a scholarship to college. I am looking forward to summer training, learning new skills and doing well at them.
