Why did you begin gymnastics?

My mom did gymnastics, dance and was a cheerleader when she was in high school and grade school so I think it was kind of just something that she thought I would like, and I really liked it too. I think I started when I was like three or so, and then kind of like really got into it when I was seven.

How often are you in the gym practicing?

In the summer I went Monday through Thursday noon to 5 p.m., and in the fall I go Monday through Friday 2:30 to 6:30, so I have to leave school early. Every year I’ve had my ninth period free, so after eighth period I leave and get to practice a little bit late.

How do you balance your social life and school with this sport?

It’s definitely tricky, but I just try to use up all my time at school to do my homework, and try to constantly be getting my work done ahead of time so that I can relax on the weekends and not have to worry about finishing everything.

What level are you on?

I’ve been level nine [out of 10] for the past few years, but I’m trying to be level 10 this year.

What do you like about it?

I love gymnastics, because it is such a mental sport. While it is a team sport, it’s also so individual, and you’re kind of always pushing and competing against yourself. There are guidelines and requirements for each level, and you have to meet them with different skills. You’re pushing yourself to see what you can do better and what new skill you can add. I just love how it requires so much constant determination and so much drive, and I like the feeling of finally getting a skill that you’ve been working on for so long. You never forget that, it’s the best feeling.

What do you not like?

The time commitment is very difficult to manage, but it’s also something you get used to and becomes part of your daily routine. Dealing with mental blocks is also something I really struggle with, when one day you know how to do a skill perfectly and the next day you feel like you don’t even know how to do it. It’s just being stuck in your own head about what you can and can’t do and losing that confidence.

Have you ever been injured?

In sixth grade, I broke my hand. I now have two screws in it. I’ve also pulled a few muscles. I broke my finger, because I snapped the top joint of my finger and then the nail bed bent, so they had to go into surgery and clean out the bone. When you do something weird or get hurt, it takes a second to get back into full swing. You just can’t think too much about it. It’s just a matter of being confident with where you are and just continuing that. 

How has COVID-19 affected your training?

In March, we obviously had to shut down, and for the first couple weeks my coach would just send us workouts to do at home. Then they kind of gradually started adding basic floor skills like back walkovers and front walkovers, things that we could do outside. And then we started doing workouts a couple times a day. Normally we practice for four hours so we were doing two hours, with about 45 minutes of conditioning every day. 

Do you plan to continue this sport next year in college?

It’s been a really really hard decision for me. It’s super, super competitive in college, the whole recruiting process. A lot of girls are getting recruited their freshman year, so spots really fill up quickly, especially with a team of 16 girls. So I could go, but I think I’m deciding I want to start a new chapter in my life, and I’m ready to put it behind me. It’s been hard coming back and going back into the gym after COVID-19 because I had that time off, and the end is so close, but I have to kind of reset which was definitely hard.