John Orozco

Orozco was born in the Bronx, New York, and is the child of Puerto Rican parents, William and Damaris Orozco. John's father worked for the New York City Department of Sanitation for 20 years until he was forced to retire after suffering a stroke. His mother, a homemaker, drove him to and from practices 30 miles away from his childhood home in the Bronx to his gym, World Cup Gymnastics, in Chappaqua, New York, while he was growing up.[2] He is the youngest of four children. His brothers Erik, Manny, and Jason all taught recreational gymnastics. He began gymnastics at the age of eight, when his father found a flyer for free gymnastics lessons at a gym in Manhattan called Sutton Gymnastics. The gym allowed him to be part of a program for children who were socioeconomically disadvantaged. He trained at World Cup Gymnastics in Chappaqua while finishing his high school education at Felisa Rincon de Gautier Institute in Soundview.[3]

In 2007 he won the Junior Visa U.S. National Championships, and became the youngest male gymnast to qualify for the finals. He got a place on the Junior National Team, representing the USA in the Pan-American Games as an alternate. Winning three consecutive Junior Visa U.S. National Championships in a row (2007, 2008, and 2009).

He then went on to compete at the Pacific Rim Championships in 2008 and 2010 helping the team to Gold medals both times. At the 2010 Pacific Rim Championships in Melbourne, he also won Gold medals in the All-Around and Horizontal Bar and Silver medals on Pommel Horse, Still Rings and Parallel Bars.

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