November Region 5 Athlete of the Month: Julie Charland

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What makes a standout gymnast? Athleticism and strength? Confidence and perseverance? Ohio gymnast [player_tooltip player_id='4087' first='Julie' last='Charland'] embodies all of these qualities. As part of the class of 2027, Charland is entering her senior year primed for a stand out season, and with a few college visits already under her belt it will be exciting to see where Charland lands next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":99092,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgymnastics.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2026/11/IMG_20261102_092552_065-edited.jpg?w=779" alt="" class="wp-image-99092" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Charland is a stand out competitor on bars and has cultivated her craft over the last few years becoming a specialist on the event. She brings a smooth fluid quality to her gymnastics on bars making the skills look effortless, while showcasing power and difficulty throughout the routine. Last season she competed a Maloney to Pak Salto connection with exceptional form and keeping her legs glued throughout leaving no room for deductions. Her routine continues with a stellar Van Leeuwen before finishing with a bang, completing a full out dismount. Charland consistently put up big scores last season, scoring an impressive 9.7 on the event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>She has continued to fine tune her routine on bars during the off season, working on form, consistency and landing execution and making noticeable improvement, especially with her full out dismount. Her consistency, clean form, and high difficulty further cement her ability to contribute big on bars in a college line up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":99096,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgymnastics.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2026/11/879504673_992991143173874_7130721146904205888_n_b885a7.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-99096" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Charland returned to the vault last season after taking a break on the event due to injury, and competed a solid yurchenko layout vault with great landing execution. Over the off season she has been training a yurchenko layout full, showcasing her power with great amplitude and distance from the vaulting table. As she continues to gain improvement with landing execution, it will be exciting to see her compete this vault later in the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On beam Charland brings the confidence and consistency that is essential on the event. She competes a beautiful back handspring step out to layout step out completing the skill with a sharp finish and no balance checks. Her routine continues with a beat jump to side aerial connection, split jump to split ¾ connection both reaching 180 with solid landing execution, before finishing with an impressive back handspring step out to side gainer full dismount. Charland's combination of skills, presentation and choreography highlights her artistic flair that makes her routine engaging to watch from beginning to end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the summer she has been training a beautiful front toss on beam with great height, which will further add difficulty to her repertoire. Charland has also been training round-off double pikes, round-off double fulls, and working towards layout 2.5 on floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":99097,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgymnastics.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2026/11/878315606_1692120505938362_5486274953367311990_n.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-99097" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Charland is ready for a fun and memorable senior season! “I'm looking forward to growing as a leader on my teams. I'm excited to challenge myself by introducing new upgrades into my routines and continuing to reach new goals as a gymnast and as a person,” Charland states.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This will be the first season in a few years where Charland will compete in the All-around due to&nbsp; injury recovery. During the injury recovery process Charland showed what perseverance, determination, and hard work can accomplish, all while remaining thankful for the journey and the lessons learned along the way. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I've faced my share of trials along the way, but each one has only made me stronger, deepened my love for this sport, and taught me never to take a single moment in the gym for granted. I've persevered through the challenges, grown through the adversity, and come out even more determined. I'm grateful for every step of this journey and excited for all that lies ahead. The best is yet to come,” states Charland.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Charland's love for gymnastics truly shines and she exemplifies the heart of an athlete.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->