Friendly rivalry pushes gymnast pair from LaFleur's Largo

When it comes to gymnastics, confidence is key.

Today, Amanda Bertorello and Kaitlin Green will compete at the Cover Girl U.S. Classic/Challenge in Des Moines, Iowa, with more confidence than ever.

A trip to Houston, and the Karolyi Ranch, will do that for a gymnast.

Under the watchful eye of Marta Karolyi, the USA Gymnastics national team coordinator and wife of gymnastics coaching icon Bela Karolyi, Bertorello and Green spent time refining the techniques that have put them among the next wave of potential U.S. Olympians.

But more than technique, the biggest thing both took away from their time at the Karolyi ranch was confidence.

"You get a lot of confidence that Marta Karolyi wants you up there, and seeing what you're doing," Bertorello said. "It gives you a lot of confidence that you're doing good, and to keep doing it."

And confidence leads to braveness. Green, 12, and Bertorello, 11, already perform the advanced techniques that are seen in international competition. According to Coach Laura Parraga, who along with husband David Parraga coaches the girls at LaFleur's Largo, the ages of the girls are part of the reason they are fearless when it comes to advanced skills, and why they are competing on the national stage this weekend.

"The kids that aren't as brave don't reach this level," Parraga said. "There are many kids who have great gymnastic ability that could be better gymnasts if they didn't have fear in their mind. That's one of the reasons you see so many younger women in gymnastics is because they're fearless when they're younger."

Both of the young gymnasts also have a deep trust in their coaches. As Green puts it, "Your coaches won't tell you to do something if you're not going to be able to do it."

Green, from Safety Harbor, has been at LaFleur's since she was 2. Bertorello came to LaFleur's from Jacksonville 18 months ago to try to advance her gymnastics career. She now lives in Tampa.

Parraga thinks Bertorello's arrival at the gym has helped both athletes, as they provide daily competition and a chance to learn from each other.

"We were thrilled to have two, it makes coaching a lot easier," Parraga said. "There's a nice healthy competitiveness between them that we couldn't teach, that comes naturally. They're both very competitive gymnasts, and they like to do better than each other, and that just constantly pushes them."

An example of this was when Green qualified for the Challenge last year, leaving Bertorello at home. Green finished eighth in the 10-11 division all-around competition, which in turn gave her teammate a goal for this year. Bertorello achieved it, as did Green, when they earned qualifying scores at the Denver Winterfest meet in January.

"It was really good," Bertorello said of Denver. "It was one of my goals to make the Challenge this year because I didn't get to go last year."

But while they compete with each other, it is a friendly rivalry. The 25 hours they spend together training each week, not to mention the time spent together at competitions, training camps and just hanging out, has allowed them to develop a close, almost sisterly, bond.

"We both want to do well, but we want each other to do well, too," Green said. "I think it's helped that she's been here. We just push each other, and it's nice to have a friend you work out with all the time."

A friendship that could see both one day wear the colors of the United States.