St. Clair Shores middle schooler finds footing in gymnastics

ST. CLAIR SHORES — St. Clair Shore native Derek Charbonneau’s competitive spirit is highlighted through his gymnastics competitions, but even more so in the classroom.

While carrying a 4.0 grade point average as an eighth grade student at Lighthouse Connections Academy, an online school for students throughout Michigan and authorized by Oxford Community Schools, Charbonneau balances the books while dedicating time to training at Troy Gym.

“You can structure your week how you want as long as you get your work done that week,” Charbonneau said. “I can put most of my work on days I don’t have practice and put a little bit of work on days that I do have practice.”

Just this past USA Gymnastics competition season, Charbonneau, a Level 4 gymnast, collected 28 bronze, two silver and one gold medal during six meets throughout the season on the rings and high bars.

Since moving to the competitive level four years ago, Charbonneau trains 14 hours a week at Troy Gym in an effort to perfect his craft.

Gymnastics is a getaway for Charbonneau and has been ever since he can remember.

“His preschool teacher gave me a suggestion for a potential outlet for his energy, and I took him to a practice class. He came running back to me after 15-20 minutes, and he doesn’t like other sports, which is fine, but he had to do something physical. He came running back to me saying, ‘Mom, this is it. I want to do this,’” said Amie Charbonneau, Derek’s mother.

Derek Charbonneau, who is part of the National Junior Honor Society, also participates in various clubs such as chess, leadership, debate, esports, and gaming and tech.

With aspirations to attend the University of Michigan and already taking high school classes, Charbonneau will continue to balance his education with gymnastics before meets start in November.