On Friday at the America First Event Center in Cedar City, Carilia Martinez will compete in the “My Cause” gymnastics meet with a personal motivation. For Martinez, a junior from Lehi studying exercise science, this event marks five months since her father’s death from a heart attack after surviving oral cancer four times.
Martinez is dedicating her participation to raising awareness about both oral cancer and heart attacks. “He battled oral cancer four times,” Martinez said. “Ultimately, he ended up passing from a heart attack because his body was just worn down. He’d been through a lot. So these causes are really special to me.”
Southern Utah Thunderbirds Head Coach Scotty Bauman spoke about Martinez’s resilience: “Carilia’s strength is hard to put into words. What she’s walked through in the last year, most people never have to face, but she shows up every single day with heart, with purpose, and with joy. Watching her step into that floor lineup this season has been one of the most rewarding moments of my coaching career.”
This season is the first time Martinez has competed regularly for the team after two years without appearances except for an exhibition at Utah State last year. She achieved a season-high score of 9.900 during Southern Utah’s win at Oregon State and contributed to one of the top-five floor scores in program history.
Martinez credits her father’s love for dance as inspiration for her performances: “My dad has always been a huge dancer,” she said. “Always dancing, always laughing, always singing. I think my performance on floor comes a lot from him.” One memorable moment was when he attended her exhibition routine in Logan while still fighting cancer—a memory she describes as one of her favorites.
When she earned her first spot in competition this season at home against Boise State, emotions ran high among those who knew how much it meant to her family: “That was just a huge ‘I made it’ moment,” she said. “People were in tears telling me my dad would be so proud.”
Coach Bauman noted her development: “She came in really young, and she’s grown in every possible way as a gymnast, as a teammate, and as a person,” he commented. “To see her fight for her dream, stay committed when she wasn’t in the lineup, and now thrive the way she is, that’s what perseverance looks like.”
After scoring 9.900 at Oregon State—on an especially difficult day—Martinez described feeling peace following her routine: “It’s hard to say he’s there with you,” she said. “But you feel a lot of love and a lot of peace. To me, that means he’s with you. I think that was his way of saying, ‘I’m still here.'”
Martinez receives support from coaches and teammates throughout both setbacks and successes: “They’ve been here every step of the way,” she said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without them.” The team plans to dedicate Friday’s meet entirely to honoring her father’s memory.
“These beautiful, amazing girls and coaches are willing to think of me the whole meet and think of my dad when they’re doing their gymnastics,” Martinez said. “Most of them never even met him. It means more to my family and me than I can say.”
Coach Bauman added: “This wasn’t even a question for our team… We wanted to honor her dad and stand behind Carilia the same way he always stood behind her… Anyone who walks into our gym sees our motto, ‘One Family One Fight’. When one of us hurts, we all step in.”
Martinez remembers how even after losing his tongue to cancer before she was born, her father continued cooking meals for their family despite being unable to eat them himself.
His loss has shifted how she approaches life’s challenges: “The little things matter so much more, and so much less at the same time,” she said. “Spending time with people you love and doing the things you love—that’s what’s important.”
Gymnastics has provided structure amid grief—and now offers an opportunity for tribute.
The Oral Cancer Foundation supports research focused on early detection and improved understanding of oral cancers while providing patient support services (https://oralcancerfoundation.org/). The foundation also advocates for national policies aimed at raising disease awareness.
Tickets remain available for Southern Utah Thunderbirds’ upcoming meets at tbirdtickets.com (https://tbirdtickets.com/).
