Desi Borgese was born in San Francisco, California to Dave and Amy on May 22, 1996. Her younger sister Chloe is also a gymnast. She began gymnastics at West Valley Gymnastics. When her coach Diane Amos left West Valley she moved to Almaden Valley Gymnastics. At Almaden Valley she was coached by Donna Craig, who formerly coached Dominique Dawes. After the 2007 season she moved to Airborne Gymnastics where she currently trains today. She is coached by Justin Howell and Liz Crandall.
In 2004, Desi competed level five during the fall season. She won the all-around at the Begonia Gymfest, High Tech Invitational and Teddy Bear Classic. She finished third all-around at the Hollywood Invitational. At Zones, Desi won floor. Her final meet of the season was States. She finished second all-around. She also won a silver medal on bars. A few months later she competed level six. She won the Spirit of the Flame Challenge. She skipped a full season of level six. In the fall of 2005, Desi qualified for the National TOPs “A” Team.
Desi began competing as a level seven in 2006. She finished second all-around at the Flips Ahoy meet. She won beam and floor. At the San Diego Classic, Desi placed fifth in a very stiff competition. She won the Spirit of the Flame Challenge. At State, Desi won every event except for bars where she finished second. Desi made the Norcal State Team by having the second highest all-around score out of every age group. She again made the National TOPs “A” Team in the fall.
She skipped level eight and moved to level nine for the 2007 season. She won the all-around at the Surf City Classic. She finished third all-around at the Byers Sacramento Invitational. Desi placed in the top ten all-around at States. At her first Regional Championships, she finished ninth all-around. She won beam! She qualified for the Western Championships where she had a respectable finish. Desi qualified for the National TOPs “A” Team for the third time in the fall.
In 2008, Desi competed level ten. She finished sixth all-around at the Lady Luck Invitational. At the Seattle Open, she placed second all-around. Desi finished second all-around at the Spirit of the Flame Challenge. She won beam and floor. At the Golden State Classic, she finished second all-around. At States, she won the all-around title! She continued having strong finishes at Regionals. By placing third all-around, she qualified for the JO National Championships. Immediately following Regionals, Desi went to a elite training camp where she qualified to international elite. She skipped pre-elite. She also placed first in physical abilities. She returned to level ten for JO Nationals. Desi had a great meet at JO Nationals. She finished fifth all-around! After JO Nationals, she finished tenth all-around at the US Classic. This qualified her for the Visa Championships. She was one of the youngest competitors.
She started 2009 by finishing second all-around at the Crystal Cup. An injury kept her out of spring invitationals. Desi was unable to compete most of 2009 season due to an injury. In December of 2009, Desi was named to the USA National Team Training Squad. The members of this prestigious squad receive invitations to training camps at the National Team Training Center. Desi started her 2010 season at the Wine Country Classic, where she finished fourth on balance beam. At the AOGC National Elite Qualifier, she placed third in the all-around and third on bars and beam. There, she qualified to the VISA Championships in Hartford, CT. Desi had a great first day at the VISA Championships, where she was 17th overall and seventh on uneven bars. Unfortunately, mistakes on the second day kept her out from placing higher.
Photos © Heather Mayenez
