AUSTIN, Texas — Peyton Brown became a trampoline gymnast when she was in the seventh grade.
"I just kind of had a gut feeling as soon as I stepped on the trampoline I was like, 'Oh, this is it,'" she said. "I knew I was finally passionate about something and it just clicked."
She sacrificed a normal high school life. No prom, no homecoming, no games, not even going to a school.
"I have to do everything 100% or not do it at all, that's just the kind of person I am," she said.
She gave it 100%. All of her time was spent in the gym. Several hours a day, multiple days a week, Brown was jumping and soaring and ready to reach new heights.
“As soon as I start something, there is a goal of getting to the top,” she said.
Her goal was Team USA. She was on track but in March of 2021, her dream came crashing down.
“I had to undergo a procedure on my foot because there were no long-lasting results,” she said.
Doctors told Brown they didn’t know if she would be able to jump again.
"I've never seen a look, her body slumped, and you knew it was just a big kick in the stomach,” said Brown mother, Kelli.
“I don't know what I would have done if I wasn't able to jump again,” Brown said.
She spent the next six months recovering and was finally able to return to the trampoline. She continued on the path toward her goal and exactly one year after her injury, she received an email.
“I was coming through the door and I heard the gasp,” said Kelli.
“She was like 'What? What is it?' and I was like, 'I got it, I'm on it,'” said Brown.
"We both just started bawling and just hugging and jumping up and down," said Kelli.
Brown officially became part of Team USA.
"We're still on cloud nine, we're still floating, we're still going, 'Pinch yourself! Can you believe it? Is it really happening,'” said Kelli.
"It's kind of been a whirlwind these past few weeks," said Brown. “It's been so exciting like this, it's the most exciting time of my life, right now."
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