SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – The Gleeson family made the tough decision to sell their horse farm in order to give their son David more opportunities with gymnastics.
“I just love what I do,” Gleeson said. “And I just wouldn’t change anything that I’ve done in this whole journey.”
Local gymnast David Gleeson practices out of Cicero’s Blaze Gymnastics where he has been training to become a collegiate gymnast. But in order to get to this point, his family has made big moves for his sport, and he appreciates their willingness to help him succeed.
“When I finally found out that we were selling the horse farm, I was upset. And I actually felt a little bit more bad for my mom, because I just knew that was her life and her passion,” Gleeson said. “And I didn’t know what she was going to do. And it was definitely a tough thing to watch.”
Despite this large sacrifice, Gleeson’s parents would not do anything different.
“It’s worth all the changes that we made to see how far he’s come with the sport,” David Gleeson said.
His parents cited the positive life lessons gymnastics brought into their son’s life as something they would not trade.
“So, in the face of adversity, what are you going to do?” Susan Gleeson said. “David’s had disappointments and instead of dwelling on them. We just said, ‘Let’s see what the opportunity is, what’s the positive in that.’”
Despite missing homecoming, football games, and other normal high school events, David feels happiest when he competes.
“Competitions are definitely one of my favorite things that I look forward to every year, because it’s the greatest feeling in the world,” David Gleeson said.
David Gleeson looks forward to more competitions at Navy next year where his best event, pommel horse, may take him onto the men’s gymnastics team.
