Rachel Maureen Gurnett was born on October 10, 1996 in Rochester, New York to Thomas and Karen Gurnett. She has a younger sister, Natalie (13). Currently, Natalie is a level 8 gymnast at Rochester Gymnastics Academy. Rachel is in 10th grade at Our Lady of Mercy High School. She is a dedicated student athlete. She trains 1 1/2 hours a day Tuesday and Friday in the morning missing three classes at school and still is a honor student!
Rachel began gymnastics taking a mom & tot class at the age of 3. Her parents enrolled Rachel in gymnastics because she had no fear. She started walking at nine months and as a toddler was always climbing up and on everything in the house. Rachel's parents kept her in recreational classes until the age of seven, which was when she was asked to join the pre-team/hot shots program at Eastside gymnastics.
Rachel competed as a level 6 gymnast for the 2005-2006 season. She won the all-around title at the Pinkystone, Leatherstocking and I Love NY Cup. At the Penev's Classic, she finished second in the all-around as well as second on balance beam and floor exercise. She concluded her season at the Level 6 State Championships, where she finished second in the all-around and first on balance beam.
In 2007, Rachel moved up to level 7. She started her season with two all-around titles at both Pinkystone and Leatherstocking meets. At the Sand Dollar Invitational in Florida, she finished second in the all-around and first on uneven bars and floor exercise. She placed second overall at the I Love NY Cup and first in the all-around at the Rochester Classic. At the Arnold Sports Festival, she won the all-around and qualified to uneven bars event finals, where she placed third. At the Niagara Cup, she placed second in the all-around and first on balance beam. Rachel won another all-around title with a 39.000 at the Spring Graffiti Invitational. At the Level 7 State Championships, she placed first on uneven bars, floor exercise and in the all-around.
Rachel began her 2008 season as a level 8 gymnast at the Pinkystone meet. There, she finished second in the all-around as well as first on uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise. She swept gold medals at the Leatherstocking. Rachel then finished second in the all-around at both IGI Chicago Style and Rochester Classic. At Arnold Sports Festival, she swept gold medals! At the Niagara Cup, she won the all-around as well as first on balance beam and floor exercise. Rachel then finished third overall at both Level 8 State Championships and Level 8 Regionals.
In 2009, Rachel competed as a level 9 gymnast. She traveled to Florida for the Sand Dollar Invitational, where she finished second in the all-around. Rachel swept gold medals at the I Love NY Cup and finished first in everything except for uneven bars at the Rochester Classic. At the Niagara Cup, Rachel finished fourth in the all-around and qualified to vault and floor exercise event finals. There, she won a gold medal on vault and placed eighth on floor exercise. Rachel is the 2009 Level 9 State, Regional and Eastern National Vault Champion. At the Level 9 State Championships, Rachel won gold medals on vault, balance beam, floor exercise and in the all-around. Rachel then placed second in the all-around as well as first on vault and second on uneven bars and balance beam at the Level 9 Regionals. There, she qualified to the Level 9 Eastern Nationals, where she finished 14th overall and first on vault.
As a level 10 gymnast in 2010, Rachel finished fourth in the all-around at the Pinkystone. At the Janet Rothenberger Invitational, she won the all-around title as well as first on uneven bars. Rachel placed second overall at both Sand Dollar Invitational and I Love NY Cup. At the Rochester Classic, she finished third in the all-around and first on vault. Rachel grabbed her fourth all-around state title at the Level 10 State Championships. At the Level 10 Regionals, she finished first on vault, balance beam and in the all-around! There, she qualified to the Junior Olympic Nationals in Dallas, Texas, where she finished 21st overall and fifth on balance beam. In the fall, Rachel was invited to the Elite Development Camp at the US National Training Center.
Rachel started her 2011 season at a small meet, Pinkystone, and finished fourth in the all-around and first on floor exercise. She won the all-around title at both Sand Dollar Invitational and I Love NY Cup. At the IGI Chicago Style meet, she finished fifth in the all-around and third on balance beam. She then placed second overall at both the Rochester Classic and Niagara Cup. At the Niagara Cup, she qualified to four individual event finals, where she won bronze medals on uneven bars and balance beam. Rachel had a rough meet at the Level 10 State Championships but bounced back at the Level 10 Regionals, where she finished third in the all-around as well as second on uneven bars and balance beam! She qualified to the Junior Olympic Nationals for the second time in Long Beach, California. At the JO Nationals, Rachel placed 15th on balance beam and in the all-around.
In 2012, Rachel finished third in the all-around as well as first on vault and balance beam at the Pinky Stone Invitational. At the Janet Rothenberg Invitational, she placed second on floor exercise and in the all-around as well as first on uneven bars. She traveled to Florida for the Sand Dollar Invitational where she finished second on uneven bars, floor exercise and in the all-around. At the I Love NY Cup, Rachel placed second in the all-around as well as uneven bars and floor exercise. She earned gold medals on balance beam, floor exercise and in the all-around at the IGI Chicago Style. At the Rochester Classic, she finished first on vault, uneven bars, balance beam and in the all-around. Rachel did really well at the Level 10 Regionals, finishing second in the all-around as well as third on vault and uneven bars. She had a solid meet at the JO Nationals, finishing 22nd overall.
Rachel trains about 24 hours per week at Rochester Gymnastics Academy in New York. She is training under coach Youlia Penev. Rachel's gymnastics goal is to qualify to international elite as well as to the VISA Championships. Her long-term goal is get a scholarship to a Division 1 college.
