Aimee Walker, 15, Has Overcome Deafness, Vision Problem to Reach Top Rung of Sport

Amid the clutter of bars, beams, mats and trampolines, she danced. Her lean body tumbled effortlessly across the floor, displaying her power, stamina and flexibility.

Hal Halvorson, head coach and program director for Golden State Gymnastics in Burbank, was asked who the girl was.

“That’s Aimee Walker,” he said. “She’s at Level 10 and I am taking her to Kazakhstan in two weeks for a meet. She’s deaf and blind in [her right] eye. Isn’t she great?”

Aimee Walker, 15, of North Hollywood will be the only American competitor at the Nelli Kim Cup, an international meet held in Kazakhstan on Sept. 8-10. It will be her first international meet outside the U.S.

Walker was born blind in her right eye and also deaf. She practices with a speech therapist and is learning how to read lips, but her main way of communicating is sign language.

Even though she can’t hear the music, her favorite event is the floor exercise.

“I practice many, many times with my coach,” she said, through her mother, Patsy Walker. “I learn how to do [the routine] slow in some parts and fast in some parts. I can’t hear the music, but I can imagine what it feels like. I try to express the music the way I feel it.”

Aimee has excelled in the floor exercises. She won the all-around competition at the USA Independent Club regional championship two years ago, including a first place on the floor with a 9.5. She is a former Level 9 state champion in the floor exercise, as well as a USA Junior Olympic champion in floor exercise.

Sometimes, not being able to hear the music has actually helped her. During qualifiers for that independent club championship two years ago in San Dimas, Aimee was cued to begin her routine by her coach. But the music was accidentally switched, and instead of a Spanish-style tune, Aimee was performing to Dixieland jazz.

Her parents and coaches were dismayed at first, but Aimee, not realizing there was a problem, continued on. To everyone’s amazement, Aimee finished her routine right on cue, and went on to win the floor exercise and advance to the regionals in Van Nuys. She also took first in floor at the regionals, but didn’t get to move on to the national meet that incorporates the four regions in the country. During practice, she broke her foot in a tumbling routine and was out of action for seven months.

At that regional meet, Aimee had finished her balance beam routine with her best score ever: 9.175.

Because of her limited vision, the beam has always been the most challenging apparatus for Aimee. Simply walking on the beam was traumatic for her at first, and she learned how to do a cartwheel on the beam before she was able to walk on it without holding her coach’s hand.

“I don’t have two eyes to see, I only have one,” Aimee said. “It’s hard sometimes to balance, but I continue trying very hard. A long time ago, I hated [the beam], but now, because I am working harder, I am becoming more consistent on it and my balance is much better.”

In preparation for the meet in Kazakhstan, Aimee spends eight hours a day, six days a week in the gym. She acknowledges that sometimes the long hours drive her crazy, but she knows that it is what she must do to reach her goals.

“I want to make elite,” Aimee said. “That’s my goal. I really want to be in the 2000 Olympics, and I have to become elite to do that. That is my future goal.”

Right now, Aimee is one of two Level 10 gymnasts at Golden State, and according to Halvorson, she is the top level-10 gymnast in the region. As a Level 10 gymnast, Aimee is only one step away from the elite level. As soon as she returns from Kazakhstan, she will begin preparing for the series of tests she must pass in order to advance to that level, which will bring her one step closer to her Olympic aspirations.

“Actually, as far as athletic ability, she has the ability to play with the best of them,” Halvorson said. “What she is learning now is that when you get the top levels, everyone is good. The best of them are the ones who work hard. As long as I have had Aimee here, she has been a hard worker. I see her definitely having potential to make elite.”

Making elite at the regional level is the first step for gymnasts who hope to go to the Olympics. Those girls have the chance to advance to one of three national events held each year, and only 36 of those advance to the level of U.S. National Elite and can compete in the U.S. championships, which were held last week in Indianapolis. This competition decides the U.S. international elites gymnasts, and from that group, Olympians are chosen. It is a long and difficult journey.

Aimee’s only other Level 10 teammate, Krystle Wong, recently injured herself, which has made training for the Kazakhstan meet and the elite tests more difficult.

“It’s hard to get ready for this meet, because you don’t have your teammates who are in the same boat, pushing each other,” Patsy Walker said.

Seven years ago, Aimee’s aunt signed her daughter up for gymnastics, but at the last minute, a broken leg prevented her from participating. Instead, Aimee took her cousin’s spot.

Aimee’s first gym was Gymnastics Olympica USA in Van Nuys, where she stayed for five years before moving to Charter Oak in West Covina and training alongside Olympic hopefuls Vanessa Atler and Jamie Dantzscher. But Aimee didn’t believe she was getting the support she needed from the coaching staff. So, after only a short time, she left.

While competing, Aimee met Wong, who competed for Golden State. The girls became friends, and Patsy decided to move Aimee in January to the smaller Burbank gym coached by Halvorson.

“In reality, I was pretty reluctant to take her on,” Halvorson said. “I knew she was a great athlete, but I didn’t know if I could do her justice. Did I have enough time to devote to her and every other girl?”

Halvorson took in Aimee and has taught her how to compensate for her limited eyesight and taught her new moves on the bars and beam.

“I am absolutely lousy at sign language,” Halvorson said. “But I am very outgoing and animated in my coaching, so I compensate that way. Also, the kids picked [sign language] up so fast. So, I have 25 little assistant in the gym.”

Aimee’s disabilities can have an effect on her balance, critical for any gymnast, but also create unusual circumstances for others in the gym. Her teammates know that if they step in Aimee’s way when she is doing a dismount or a tumbling run, they can’t simply yell at Aimee to stop.

Halvorson points out that the meet in Kazakhstan is Walker’s chance to get her feet wet as she works toward her Olympic goal.

Recently, an organization called “Choose Athletics Instead of Depression and Sickness” presented Aimee with a bike. The presentation was done by Olympic gold medalist Kerri Strug.

“All of a sudden, there is Kerri Strug for me,” Aimee said. “They gave me a bike, and the support was just great. Now it’s my turn. I want to give money to other kids, maybe someone with a disability.”