DURHAM — Sam Maunsell wakes up each morning, looking ahead to what the day will bring, managing his time the best he can. And like most teens, he looks to balance his passion with school and everyday life. 

His passion is gymnastics, a sport not often in the limelight here in Maine, but something that takes a lot of time, effort and dedication to improve the skills, and this sophomore from Freeport High School appears to be on the right track. 

“I practice all year round, practicing 16 hours a week,” Maunsell said, who was off to practice after the interview. “I get up, eat breakfast and plan out the day. It takes a lot of time management skills.” 

The season begins with training in November and December, with meets beginning in January. Most people only see the end results, again, not realizing the work that is put in. 

“People don’t realize how much goes into preparing for this,” Dylan Tanguay, who coached Sam at the Maine Academy of Gymnastics, said. “It’s all about discipline and passion while falling in love with the grind and process. 

“Not a lot of people get to fall in love with their passion as it takes a lot to get there, and Sam has done very well with it because he is doing the process, appreciating what we do as coaches for him.” 

This past April, Maunsell won the level nine overall 2018/19 USA Gymnastics Maine State Championships held in Winthrop, moving on to the regional event. Athletes compete in different levels, one through 10, with 10 being the most competitive. 

“I’ve worked my way up the levels,” Maunsell added, who lives in Durham with his family — mom Bobbi, dad David, and younger brothers Logan and Quinn. “I skipped level eight to compete in level nine this past year. Level 10 is the top level, more for those preparing for college gymnastics, and I’m going into that this coming year. This will give me time to prepare the next few years.” 

Roughly only 2 % of athletes that start gymnastics make it to level 10 because of the mental and physical rigors the sport requires. 

Sam was first exposed to the sport at the age of 5 through a recreation program. The youngster had a lot of energy and was “really rowdy,” and he and his parents were looking for an avenue to expend it. A year or so later, he saw a competitive meet and immediately said, “I want to do that.” 

Sam’s early stages of participating began when he joined Andy Valley Gymnastics out of Lewiston. It was here that Sam trained under coach Jason Chaisse and picked up the necessary skills to compete. 

“I joined Andy Valley and stayed there for about four years,” Maunsell said. “Coach Jason was a big influence for me and my interest (peaked) when I realized it was really fun, and if it’s fun and you’re good at it, why not go for it?” 

After his stint at Andy Valley, Maunsell joined the Maine Academy of Gymnastics in Westbrook. There, Maunsell has taken advantage of the more opportunities available to him and competes on the rings, parallel bars, floor, pommel horse, vault and high bar.  

“They had the equipment for me as I got bigger and I was looking for more opportunities,” Maunsell said. 

While at the Academy, he has finished as the state runner–up three times, while qualifying for the regional championships four times. This past February, the gymnast received “The Iron Man” for winning the rings at the Boston Classic Gymnastics Invitational for Boys, which brings in highly talented athletes from all around.  

While at the Academy, Maunsell has progressed among the ranks as he has grown and become wiser about the sport. 

“Gymnastics has taught me discipline and definitely time management. I’ll go home after school, get a quick bite to eat and then head to practice for four hours. I get home around 9:30, 10, and do my homework. Thankfully I have some study halls during the day,” said the regular member of the Freeport Honor Roll.  

And he credits Coach Tanguay with building his strength. 

“Dylan worked with me on my strength,” Maunsell said. “He has helped me understand my abilities and how to use my strength. And now coach Rigel (Liedke) is working with me on getting to the next level.” 

“Sam has grown so much,” Tanguay, who works as a personal trainer at Coastal Performance Training Center in Brunswick, said. “He is taking these skills he has learned and hones them in, applying them in real life. He’s always shown me and his other coaches that our time is worth it to him. You never have to tell Sam to do more, he just wants to. 

“This isn’t a sport a lot of people see or hear about, nor do they realize how tough it can be, and Sam embraces that.” 

Through gymnastics, Maunsell has also been able to experience camp life as other athletes in other sports are able to do. Maunsell has attended the United States Gymnastics Training Camp (USGTC) in Holyoke, Massachusetts, where athletes from around the world come to train. 

“The USGTC is a week-long camp where we stay in the dorms and we all work on our skills. A lot of people from all over the place attend this camp and I’ve become friends with all kinds of people, including a friend from Turkey whom I’ve stayed in touch with and built a nice relationship,” said Maunsell, who is also an avid reader of fantasy/science-fiction books and history. 

The gymnast plans to keep competing, right through high school and hopefully beyond. 

“I am beginning to look at colleges that offer gymnastics if I get good enough,” Maunsell said as he has aspirations of studying in the medical field, whether it be “studying behaviors of people, a physical therapist or maybe even an endocrinologist, a doctor of some sort.” 

With the future on his side, Maunsell, who also participates on the high school track team to keep his cardio up, has some lofty goals for the next few years. 

“I plan on working (hard) the next two years to make nationals. You have to place in the top three in the regionals to move on. I finished fifth last year out of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut and Rhode Island. 

“Now that I am in level 10, I can focus on one or two events that I’m really good at, not the all-around like you have to do in the other levels. You need a score of 13 to move on, I’ve scored just under a 12, so I need to improve.” 

The 15-year old also enjoys coaching the younger athletes, hoping to spread his knowledge and experiences to the next generation of gymnasts. 

“A lot of kids on my team do some coaching because we have a lot of experience with it. It’s fun working with the kids when they behave,” Maunsell said. “I have learned so much about discipline and how to manage my time, I want to pass that along.” 

The sky is the limit for this young athlete, so expect to hear more from Sam Maunsell in the years to come. 

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