Charlotte Drury

However, when it came time to commit to continuing at the elite level, she soon realized her enthusiasm for artistic had waned. "I was in artistic gymnastics from 3 to 13," Drury said. "And it’s not that I didn’t still love artistic. I just didn’t have the same passion. I was healthy but in my heart I just didn’t have the drive for artistic gymnastics anymore. I didn’t have the passion to push myself anymore."

Still needing an outlet for her energy, she was encouraged to find something else to stay busy. "That first day (after leaving artistic) I was bouncing off the walls and I remember my mom saying ‘You need to do something or you’re going to drive me insane,’" Drury recalled. That night she showed up at a trampoline class. "That first time it was like ‘this is where I’m supposed to be. This is home.’" Drury said.

Drury traveled to Frankfurt, Germany at the end of November for a brief training camp and opportunity to acclimate before arriving in Odense, Denmark for the World Championships. This was the first of two qualifiers for the 2016 Summer Olympics, where the top eight competitors (maximum two gymnasts per National Olympic Committee) would automatically earn their nation a quota place. Having the fifth best score in the optional routine, along with the second highest time of flight, Drury qualified for the individual event semi-finals in ninth-place overall with a total score of 100.825. In the semi-final round, she finished with a total score of 53.730, missing the finals by less than half a point. Her eleventh-place finish secured entry to the Olympic Test Event in April, 2016, where the United States had a second chance to qualify for Rio.

In February, Drury was in Battle Creek, Michigan for the Winter Classic where she won the individual event with a total score of 150.020, including a personal best 15.000 degree of difficulty in her final routine. This was the first of three selection events to determine who would represent their country at the 2016 Summer Olympics, pending a United States qualification at the Olympic Test Event in April. The other two selection events were the US Elite Challenge in May and the USA Gymnastics Championships in June.

April was a very busy month for Drury, starting in Everett, Washington for the 2016 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships. After a preliminary round score of 100.730 in the individual event, Drury was sitting in first-place going into the final round. Her performance anchored a USA win in the team event with a total score of 292.085. In the final round Drury was unable to recover from some travel during her routine, leaving her with a score of 46.860. The total score of 147.590 had her finishing fourth.

The remaining thirteen competitors would vie for a spot in the top eight by completing two flights in a qualification round. During her compulsory routine, Drury endured some travel that left her in last place with a score of 43.425. Regaining her composure for the second flight, Drury was able to score the third best optional routine among eligible competitors, giving her an eleventh-place finish overall with a total score of 95.915, but more importantly finishing seventh among eligible competitors and guaranteeing a trip to the 2016 Summer Olympics for the United States. “I just kind of let everything out, everything that I was feeling. Let it go and decided to start my second routine with a blank slate,” said Drury. “It’s a new turn, a new routine. I had to make it happen. (It was) awesome. Just kind of incredible,” Drury added as she reflected on qualifying the USA to the Games. “You definitely don’t realize how much it’s weighing on you until it’s over and you’re in.”

After a short break, Drury was off to the Karolyi Ranch in Huntsville, Texas for final training preparations before arriving in Rio de Janeiro for the Olympic Test Event. The April 19th event would see the number of available quota places increase to eight (maximum one gymnast per National Olympic Committee) from five when neither of the host country, continental representation nor tripartite invitation exemptions were used. Included in the sixteen-person field were the medalists from the 2015 World Championships, whose results would not be considered for the purpose of qualification.

Drury was born in Laguna Beach, California, to Michael and Ann Drury. She has two older siblings: brother James and sister Emma; and a younger sister Olivia. She graduated from Dana Hills High School in Dana Point, California in 2014 and now attends Saddleback Community College in Mission Viejo, California studying International Relations with a focus on Political Science. Her hobbies include photography, writing, hiking, swimming and freediving. She enjoys the travel opportunities afforded by her competition schedule and also has dual citizenship with Sweden due to her mother's heritage.

Loulé, Portugal in September was the setting for Drury's last competition of the year. At the 7th International Loulé Cup, she won the individual event with a total score of 138.690.

She began training at Team OC Gymnastics in Costa Mesa, California and within her first year was competing at level 9. In June, 2010, she participated in the Junior Olympic National Championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She ended up winning her age group in the double mini event with a total score of 63.500 and finished seventh in the individual event with a total score of 53.500.

Charlotte Frances Drury (born June 4, 1996) is an American trampoline gymnast. At the 2014 Minsk World Cup, she finished at the top of the podium in the individual event, becoming the first American woman to win a gold medal in trampoline at a World Cup. That same year, she was crowned national champion at the USA Gymnastics Championships. She has been a member of the US Trampoline and Tumbling National Team since 2011, pursuing her goal to one day compete at the Olympic Games.

In June, Drury competed at the US Elite Challenge in Spokane, Washington. This time jumping with Hayley Butcher, they won the synchronized event with a combined score of 94.000. Butcher went on to win the individual event, while Drury placed second with a total score of 137.690. At the end of the month Drury competed internationally at the 48th Nissen Cup in Arosa, Switzerland where she finished fourteenth in the preliminary round with a total score of 96.160.

In June, Drury was in Europe where she claimed her first title outside the United States. Competing at the 28th International Frivolten Cup in Herrljunga, Sweden, she won the double mini event with a total score of 63.900. She also finished eighteenth in the individual event with a total score of 64.550.