Unionville grad is All-American on rings

STATE COLLEGE » Greg Tamargo, a 2014 graduate of Unionville High School and Penn State University senior, has been named an All American in gymnastics.

He earned that honor by his performance on the rings at the NCAA championships in Chicago on April 21.

Tamargo, an economics and business innovation major, will go on to graduate studies in economics next year at Penn State, but he has a year of eligibility left with the university because he was redshirted due to injury for one year.

Redshirt means that an athlete has four years of athletic eligibility, but by not competing for a year, the playing eligibility time period is extended a year.

Tamargo, 21, is walking a delicate tightrope of eligibilities, he said, because he has a dual citizenship with Spain through family relationships and hopes

to train with its national team following his years with Penn State.

”It’s tough to manage the international and college. Penn State wants me to compete for them (next year), but I have the opportunity to train with Spain for the 2020 Olympics (after that)” he said.

The 2020 Olympics will be held in Tokyo.

Tamargo said he expects to train with Spain in the all around and also compete in international competitions in the intervening time until he hopefully qualifies for the Olympics.

Tamargo started his career in gymnastics early in life when his mother enrolled him in tiny tot courses at KMC Gymnastics in New Garden when he was 2. He went on to compete in all around in his school age years for KMC, and then progressed to competing and training in Lansdale at a more advanced level in his high school years.

It was a challenge, he said, because he had to leave Unionville High School promptly at 2:30 p.m. for the long ride and would not get home until 10:15 p.m.

He was appreciative of the support he received at Unionville.

“The administration and teachers were very sympathetic,” he said.

During the recent NCAA championships he was under lot of pressure on the rings, he said, not only for himself but for this team.

“I was competing second to last and the scores were tight. I knew I had to do a perfect set (but I had done it before),” he said.

To his delight, he did it and stuck the landing as he had hoped, earning his team’s top rings score.

He finished sixth in the nation, with the top eight being named All American.

In the past several years, Tamargo has had a rough road physically.

During his sophomore year at Penn State he broke his ankle, but, unaware of the severity, he competed anyway. During his junior years he was forced to sit out and recover. He returned to the gym in this, his senior year, with success.

Looking back, he is happy about his performance and the All American designation, especially in a comeback year.

“It’s an extreme honor,” he said.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Greg Tamargo