LANSING, Mich. — Jessica Duval has been a part of the Area 8 Special Olympics group for 12 years now. She started when she was a student at Lansing Eastern High School.
Over the years, she has played a handful of sports. Gymnastics is the one she loves the most.
"It's like a little dance is like fun," Duval said.
Duval and her coach Cornelia Radney have a special bond both in and out of the gym.
"She's been my everything, a coach, a friend, a teacher," Duval said.
"She's been doing a fantastic job. She started off at the low level, but now, she's at the high level," Radney said.
Her hard work and dedication over the years has qualified her for a dream come true event, representing the United States Special Olympics team in the World Games this summer in Berlin.
"I never dreamed, but when they came to me with it, I said, 'oh, yes, she's definitely the one you need to take,'" Radney said when I asked her if she thought Duval would ever get to this point.
While Duval prepares for her biggest event, she's also developed into an assistant coach role with the Area 8 Special Olympics.
"At first, she was really shy. I'm proud to see her stepping out as a leader before we couldn't get her to do that," Radney said.
As Duval prepares for the World Games in June, she said she's most looking forward to meeting new people. She'll have one more event at the Michigan Summer Olympics before she heads to Germany.
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