By Marley Seaman
Coaches soon noticed Lowery¹s potential as a gymnast, and he began taking part in competition. This year the 19-year-old captured the silver medal in the vault at the Empire State Games, finishing .05 points behind the gold medalist, and helped the Long Island team bring home the overall bronze medal. Two years earlier, competing in the scholastic division, Lowery had won the gold medal in the vault and earned silver in the floor program.
³He¹s a pleasure to work with ‹ he¹s extremely talented,² said Damon Albert, director of the Gymnastics Center at the Flushing YMCA, who has coached Lowery for the last two years. ³He¹s especially talented on floor and vault.²
Albert said he thinks Lowery could be a world-class performer in his two strongest events. ³He¹s an elite-level athlete in those events ‹ he could go as far as he wants,² Albert said. ³With six solid months [of training], he¹d be at an international level in those events.²
The Empire State Games were not Lowery¹s first taste of success. His mother, Laura, estimates that her son has won some 10 New York state championships in various competitions ‹ a total that is even more impressive because he spent his senior year of high school recovering from injuries.
³We¹re very proud of him,² said Nathanael¹s father, Leonard. ³The last couple of years had been plagued with injuries, and we¹re proud that he was able to overcome those injuries and contribute to the Long Island team.²
When he is on the mat, Lowery needs to have total confidence. It¹s the only way he can hope to succeed while performing mid-air flips and twists in the vault. ³Especially in that event, you can¹t second-guess yourself because you could seriously injure yourself if you begin to doubt,² he said. ³You have to be extremely confident in what you¹re going to do.²
Perhaps, ironically, it¹s this same confidence that allows Lowery to consider a life without gymnastics. A sophomore at St. John¹s University, he plans to study criminal justice and pursue a career in federal law enforcement. It¹s hard to find room for hours of practice in a schedule already dominated by his studies. Lowery is not planning to leave the sport behind just yet ‹ he intends to participate in the West Point Open early next year ‹ but because he doesn¹t know how much longer he¹ll be competing, he tries to savor these moments.
³With the field that I¹m trying to pursue career-wise, probably gymnastics is not going to be able to fit into that schedule,² he said. ³So I¹m trying to enjoy it as much as I can.²
Comments about this story? MSeaman@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 205.
