Years in the making: Haskins, community put together personal best

By Tom Peterson

When Gabriella Haskins put a resume of academics and tumbling on a balance beam to become the Wasco County Distinguished Young Woman on March 19, she did it standing on a lot of shoulders… 

A community of mentors and supporters in old River City.

But that seems appropriate for the 17-year-old competitive cheerleader who often finds herself flying and tumbling for her team at The Dalles High School.

“It was great to meet all these empowered women in The Dalles,” Haskins said of mentors, chaperones and chairs of the scholarship program. “My chaperone - Lori Burchfield - was amazing throughout all of it; she was like my mom; she would pick me up and drive me to practice. She took me to my interviews. She was always there for me.”

Zora Richardson bestows the medallion on Haskins after being named named Disinguished Young Woman of Wasco County on March 19th. Backrow, right to left, Ahnikah Rubio, Rose Miller, Ivy Wollam, Amy Hernandez and Elizabeth Lantz

She also pointed to Distinguished Chair Tiffany Prince and Kris Vassar as tremendous influences on her. 

The scholarship program is judged on academics, interviews, talent, physical fitness and self-expression on stage.

So, while the public saw the talent, fitness and expression portions of the program on stage that night, much had already been decided earlier in the day. 

Haskins said 50 percent of her score came early on that full Friday of the competition when she went into a timed interview conducted by a panel of five judges with two program chairs sitting behind her in observation.

2023 Distinguished Young Woman of Wasco County Gabriella Haskins, who also received the Spirit Award.
Scholastic Award Recipient, Rose Miller and 1st Alternate & Be Your Best Self Award Recipient, Ahnikah Rubio Photo by Beverly Nañez

Unnerving? Sure.

Worth it? 

“Oh yeah,” she said noting her goal is to encourage sophomores to go for it next year. “The talent portion is only 90 seconds,” she said. “And it only counts for 25% of the overall score. They will help you come up with a talent. You could do a monologue,” she said. 

Here’s the upside.   

Haskins who also won the spirit award earned $4,000 toward her education that night.

What does she want to do after graduating?

“Become an electrician,” she said without hesitation. “I would like to have an all-female business and employ female electricians … that would be so cool.”

She plans on attending Central Oregon Community College after graduation in 2023. 

Distinguished Young Women is a national program that combines the chance to win college scholarships with a program that offers life skills training to prepare young women for the world after high school. Each year it makes more than $1 billion in scholarships available, according to its website. Haskins will move onto the state competition this June and if successful could go on to a national competition in Mobile, Alabama. Wins at state come with a full-ride scholarship and a win at the national level would put her on tour for a year as the ambassador for the program. 

Would that be fun?

“Traveling for a year and meeting interesting people? Yeah, I could do that,” she said.

Getting There

The original influencers - Mike & Candy Smith

Haskins said some of her earliest influences that prepared her came from Mike, Candy and Sarah Smith, former gymnastic coaches at Riverside Gymnastics in The Dalles.

Haskins watched her sister Halle in the sport and started herself at five years old. 

“I still cry when I see them,” she said of the Smiths. “I’m not sad. I’m just emotional. They gave me so much. It was more than gymnastics to them. They taught us respect. They encouraged us to journal about our goals. They taught us to be a good person and make the right decisions.”

And they believed in conditioning, she added.

 “I remember running with coach Peggi Cassidy and then running a drill called Lover’s Leap - where we would pick up another gymnast and run in circles. That will get you in shape.”

Gabriella and her sister are still coaches at the gym, and lead coach Audrey Hinatsu helped Gabriella choreograph her tumble and beam routine for the Distinguished Competition.  

Her training did not come without sacrifice, but it was one that was embraced by the whole Haskins family.

Kara and Troy

Her parents, Kara and Troy Haskins were backing her all the way. 

Troy, in fact, got a crew together and rented a U-Haul to move the heavy balance beam from Riverside to the Civic Auditorium for the Distinguished Competition. He also did a lot of equipment moving at Riverside for gymnastic competitions over the years. 

“My mom worked three jobs,” Gabriella added, noting Kara worked at the Celilo Cancer Center, Water’s Edge and then became a coach at Riverside in her spare time. Kara would also dip into Troy’s Cowboy supplies to decorate the gym for the Oregon Trail meets, borrowing Troy’s saddle and antique farm implements.

Gabriella is also quick to point out that the gym surrounded her with a group of older girls that she wanted to emulate - Allie Kortge, Hinatsu, Taylor Sugg, Hannah Hinshaw, Bailey Coyner, Courtney Hert, Emma Smith - some of which also went on to be named Wasco County Distinguished Young Woman.

This year’s first alternate in the Competition went to Ahnikah Rubio, who also competed with Riverside. 

“I was surrounded by all these people at the same point,” Gabriella said. “It was amazing to look up to.”

In sixth grade, Gabriella said she began participating in school sports while still volunteering her help at Riverside. 

She played basketball and ran track and field. She loved track, but COVID made it difficult to pursue, so she wound up applying her skills to cheerleading where she is now a flyer and main tumbler.

“You know, I didn’t think I was going to win this,” Gabriella said at the end of our conversation, hitting on a note of humbleness. “I was in shock.”

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