A Balancing Act

Launch Family Magazine: When did you start learning online with Launch?
Madelyn Moore: I first started online last year, when I was in ninth grade.

L.F.M.: Are you online full-time now?
M.M.: No, I go to school for half a day in person, and then I do the rest of my classes online. I did that last year, too. It’s helpful for me, because it allows me flexibility for gymnastics.

L.F.M.: Describe your typical schedule.
M.M.: I go to school from 7:43 to 11:15 a.m., then get in the car, eat lunch and go to gym. I have gym from 1 to 5. After that I’ll go home, do as much Launch work as I can for the day, eat dinner and get ready for bed. I do that Monday through Thursday, and then on Fridays I go to school, and then I’ll go to the library after my in-person classes and finish up all of my Launch work.

L.F.M.: What is your favorite thing about Launch?
M.M.: I like that even though there’s not as many electives as there are in school, there are still fun ones that I can choose from, which keeps me wanting to do the work!

L.F.M.: Tell me about gymnastics.
M.M.: I’m a level 10 gymnast at Fusion Gymnastics. I do competitions from January to May, and I spend most of the rest of the year preparing for that. I’ve been doing gymnastics since I was 7.

L.F.M.: What’s your favorite thing about gymnastics?
M.M.: I’d have to say that my favorite part is competing, and being able to do what I do in practice in meets.

L.F.M.: Tell me about your medal collection.
M.M.: Most of my medals are from little competitions, but I also have some from Regionals and Nationals. Last year was my first year to make it to both Regionals and Nationals—only the top seven in your age group go to Nationals, so it was a pretty big deal.

L.F.M.: What’s your long-time goal for gymnastics?
M.M.: I want to be a student athlete in college.

L.F.M.: Do you know where you want to go to college?
M.M.: Well, I’ve been to a lot of camps for gymnastics, and that’s when I get to see different schools. So far, of the camps I’ve been to, my three favorite colleges are Nebraska, Illinois and Iowa.

L.F.M.: What do you think you’ll choose for a major?
M.M.: I want to study kinesiology.

L.F.M.: Interesting! What’s your dream job?
M.M.: I want to be an OT—an Occupational Therapist—for children.

L.F.M.: What are your other hobbies?
M.M.: I like to hang out with my friends. A couple of years ago, I did a pickleball tournament with one of my friends, and ever since then I like to go out and play pickleball with friends or family. My mom will play with me sometimes.

L.F.M.: What are you binge watching right now?
M.M.: “Grey’s Anatomy.” But I’ve seen it before.

L.F.M.: What’s your favorite show?
M.M.: I’ll watch whatever is on, but my favorite show is probably “Dance Moms.”

L.F.M.: How about your favorite subject?
M.M.: Probably math.

L.F.M.: And your favorite food?
M.M.: Enchiladas.

L.F.M.: How about your favorite way to spend a Saturday?
M.M.: I like to go to Worlds of Fun, but first I have to go to gym. I have gym 8 to 1 on Saturdays.

L.F.M.: Where would you go on a dream vacation?
M.M.: I want to go to Hawaii. I think one of our meets is going to maybe be in Hawaii the year we graduate, in 2027.

L.F.M.: What advice would you share with another student who was thinking about taking a Launch class?
M.M.: I’d say to do it, definitely, especially if it can help you with your sport or help you with something else going on in your life. But try to keep up with your work, or choose one day every week where you work to get caught up!