PHOTO BY AMANDA MARSHALL LUCAS PHOTOGRAPHY —Marshalltown gymnast Amiya Kluck, 12, recently took home two national champion titles at the 2022 United States Tumbling and Trampoline Association (USTA) National Championships in Florida. Kluck represented the Marshalltown gym MAT Tumbling, owned by Ron Brooks, at the June competition.

Twelve-year-old Marshalltown gymnast Amiya Kluck is described by her family and her coach as determined, and considering she took home not one, but two national titles at the June 2022 USTA National Championships in Florida, it’s safe to assume they’re right.

This win at the United States Tumbling and Trampoline Association (USTA) National Championships meant a lot to Kluck this year, because she wasn’t just doing it for herself. The competition in Florida came just three weeks after the tragic death of her father, Robbi Kluck, who was killed in a motorcycle accident near JBS on May 16. Though Robbi passed away, because he was an organ donor, he saved five other lives in the process.

While Amiya had qualified for nationals, given the circumstances, she and her family weren’t sure if they would be able to attend the competition, but they were able to make the trip work nonetheless. All of Amiya’s hard work and drive paid off in the end.

“Just being able to go and kind of pull that off for her dad meant a lot,” Amiya’s mom Brandi McClish said.

This is Kluck’s fourth year as a gymnast, and while she went to nationals last year, she placed lower, which made this competition even more special. She competed in two different categories: Double-Mini, which had 45 contestants, and Rod Floor, which had 62 contestants — she took home national championships in both. Kluck said winning felt good, but the experience was a little intimidating too.

“It was scary. It was a lot of people,” she said. “There’s not that many people (in Marshalltown), so it was kind of weird.”

Kluck attended the competition with the Marshalltown gym MAT Tumbling, and Gym Owner and Coach Ron Brooks was extremely supportive and helpful before and during the competition according to McClish, especially after Kluck suffered the loss of her dad.

“We want to give props to the gym, because it really was just like a place where she could go, to just kind of, not forget, but just like put it on the back burner for a second. Just kind of clear her mind,” McClish said. “It’s really important in those kinds of situations, where she could feel safe, where she could just not — she didn’t have to cry, she doesn’t have to talk to anybody about it, she can just be who she was and continue to work on her skills.”

Brooks, who has been coaching Kluck for about a year now, said her resilience and resolve was impressive to see, and he is proud to be her coach and see her take home two national championships despite the heartbreaking circumstances.

“She’s a tough kid. There’s not a lot of people in the world who can handle what she did to the level of which she handled it,” Brooks said. “She’s an outstanding young lady. Had to deal with a lot in a short span and still try to prepare for nationals and maintain focus and discipline and a good work ethic, you know, everything. I can’t imagine what’s associated with that and she was able to maintain that, do that and do it at a high level. Never complained, never broke down. Just did what she wanted to do.”

Along with Kluck, seven other MAT Tumbling gymnasts competed in the national championship in June, and Brooks said they also fared quite well.

McClish said Kluck’s teammates stood behind her and supported her, making the national competition even more meaningful.

“(I’m) very proud, very proud of her. She had a lot of mental roadblocks to get there, so overcoming those proved how strong willed she was, how determined she is,” McClish said. “I’d say it was a pretty great experience to have with her team and with her family too.”

Seeing Kluck compete in the competition was important to her family members, just like McClish said, and Amiya’s grandmother, Kim Woosley, said being there to see her compete and win was very meaningful to her.

“It was awesome, but it was sad knowing that her dad wasn’t there,” Woosley said.

Knowing that her dad would have wanted to see her compete kept Kluck going, even though it was hard. Prior to the accident, Robbi was planning on coming to Florida for the event, and though he wasn’t there in body, he was there in spirit to see his daughter shine.

“(Robbi) had never seen her compete at nationals. He didn’t get to go the year before that, so he was really looking forward to it,” McClish said. “I think it was important to just finish that out. It was important for us to do it and to just know that he was there with us, because that’s what he would have wanted us to do. He wanted to be there for her, and I know that he was.”

Though the gymnastics competition season is over for now, it will start up again in the fall, and McClish said Kluck will be ready to tackle the new season head on. In the meantime, she will be meticulously preparing.

Though Robbi Kluck has passed away, he still lives on through his children, family and friends, and a part of him is still here in the people he saved with his organ donations. According to Woosley, the recipients of his organ donations are all doing well, and the transplants were all successful.

Contact Susanna Meyer at 641-753-6611 or smeyer@timesrepublican.com.

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