Bishop Hendricken senior Aidan Cuy signed his National letter of Intent to compete in Division I gymnastics for the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia last Friday night at Aim High Academy in East Greenwich. Cuy is a level 10 gymnast and a six-time qualifier to the USAG Men’s Junior Olympic National Championships, where he won eight events and all-around medals which included two gold medals on the parallel bars. Cuy was also the first gymnast to represent Rhode Island on the Region 6 Elite Team. Cuy was excited to finally put the pen on the paper and make his commitment official. “It’s pretty crazy that it’s a thing that is actually going to happen now. We’ve been working a lot with the coaches over the past few months so it’s a relief to finally get it out of the way and know that it’s really happening,” said Cuy, who felt that William and Mary checked off many boxes in his search. “The academics were the primary thing, but the gymnastics team was really good too. I also liked the community feel that the school brought when I visited.” Cuy began competing in gymnastics at 6 years old at Aim High as part of the school’s inaugural class. Although Cuy knew that competing collegiately was a possibility, the idea of actually committing to a DI program did not fully sink in until fairly recently. “I’d say more recently the thought became a real possibility. The thought was always there, it was always something that I thought was a possibility but it wasn’t until recently that I figured that maybe it was something to really work towards,” said Cuy. Aim High coach Tristan Heuvelman was proud to see one of his athletes take the next step, especially considering the impact that Cuy made during his time at the club. “I feel so proud of him because he went the whole track. He started here at 6 years old and now he is here at 18 leading the program and going Division I. It makes me happy to see our athletes accomplish their athletic dreams and there academic dreams,” said Heuvelman, who has no doubt that Cuy will be prepared for the college-level competition. “Seeing how particular he is in his approach, his workouts, his routines, the transition to Division I is one that I think he will be able to successfully make. He is going to see a high level of competition and athletes so I can’t wait to see what the future brings for him.” Heuvelman also believes that Cuy’s signing is important in shedding light on the sport of gymnastics in Rhode Island. “It’s extremely important to highlight gymnastics. There are only four teams in Rhode Island that offer men’s gymnastics, so it is very important to see schools offer it in Division I,” said Heuvelman. Cuy looks forward to testing his metal against some of the top gymnasts in the country next fall. “It’s going to be crazy, a lot more high energy, better competition than what you usually see in Rhode Island, it’s going to be much more competitive,” said Cuy, who will also miss the gymnastics community in RI. “I’ll miss the people and my teammates for sure, they have always been behind me so to get adapted to a new team will be difficult … this is like my second home here. I’m excited for the doors that this will open for me though.”