By Derek Reinglass
Action photo by John Cheng
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Adolescence is often considered the formative years in one's life, marked by trial and error. A time in which one can expect to fail and fail again before he/she finally obtains success. It's a time of personal discovery.

However, there are always exceptions.

For 20-year-old Alex Naddour, his niche stared him directly in the face the moment he popped from the womb.

"My whole family does gymnastics," Naddour said. "My dad was a gymnast at ASU (Arizona State University), my mom was a gymnast at Ohio State, my brother Anthony is a gymnast (23), my stepbrother is a gymnast (18), my step-sister is a cheerleader (13), and my dad owns USA Youth Fitness Center in Gilbert, Ariz. I was basically born into gymnastics."

While most athletes spend their youth trying to determine what they excel in, Naddour didn't waste any time with the debate. He was already busy perfecting his skills. He didn't have to travel far to find inspiration.

"I watched Jason Gatson, a former gymnast my dad trained, compete at the Olympics and I decided that was my goal," Naddour said.

Naddour trained hard to improve his skills, but his passion for a competition atmosphere is innate.

"Competition appeals to me and is something that I've always enjoyed because of the adrenaline rush," Naddour said. "Feeling nervous is something that I live for."

Despite the gymnastics gene, Naddour realizes that reaching the top of the sport can't come without lots of dedication and practice.

"I wake up and go to school, then gym, then sleep," Naddour said. "I'm currently finishing up my sophomore year at the University of Oklahoma, and my major is business management. Since I switched to competitive gymnastics, my mindset has been that there could be someone out there that wants it more than me, so I have to keep pushing. Even though life is hard, seize every moment you can because these memories will last your whole life."

One memory Naddour is also looking to seize is the opportunity to compete abroad.

"One of my goals as an athlete is to go to as many international competitions as I can because it's a totally different world in other countries," Naddour said. "Competing there and traveling is a lot of fun."

The aspect that Naddour feels has been vital to his success and sets him apart from his competition is trust.

"I've learned to trust my coaches, as well as myself," Naddour said. "A lot of people don't compete as well as they can because they let their mind get in the way. It's about having fun, so I try and let my training be hard, and competitions be fun."

Although Naddour is only 20 years old, and still has plenty more years of competing in him, he already has a plan for after his career is over. However, post-competition doesn't translate into post-gymnastics.

"After I finish my gymnastics career, I'd like to run my Dad's gym and be a coach so I can try to give back as much as I received from my coaches," Naddour said. "If that doesn't work out, I'd use my degree to start my own gym. Basically, once you're in the gymnastics world, you can never get out. It becomes a way of life."

When not in class or in the gym, Naddour enjoys spending his time hanging out with his friends outside, particularly at the pool. A hobby that he thoroughly enjoys is working on his car, a 2010 Camaro.

"I've put 22 inch rock star rims, slp exhaust and blackout lights on it," Naddour said.

Along with his OU teammates, Naddour volunteers at Cleveland Elementary School, where they assist the students with schoolwork and play with them during recess. He's not a picky eater, but he loves sushi, and Hip-Hop music is his genre of choice.