I truly love when passions collide. I've had the privilege and honor to cover more gymnastics related events than I can count. One perk of this field is that you can make your passions work for you.
I really don't know where my love for the sport of gymnastics came from, but ever since I watched it, I loved it. Maybe it's the grace and artistry that gymnasts use to perform their skills. Maybe it's the incredible strength and dedication to training that an elite athlete must have. Or maybe it's just watching ordinary kids do extraordinary things!
2016 AT&T American Cup, Newark NJ
The 2012 London Summer Olympic Games are the first ones I vividly remember watching. It was a historic year for Team USA Women's Gymnastics. It was an incredible run at the games for Jordyn Wieber, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, and Kyla Ross. They ultimately came home with the team gold medal for the USA, a feat in USA Gymnastics history that had not been accomplished since the magnificent seven in 1996.
After the five girls came home to the USA, they went on this massive media tour. They stopped in New York, got to visit President Obama in the White House, went to the set of the Ellen DeGeneres show, the list goes on and on. I was hooked as I watched them compete in London and even more hooked when they came back.
I still have the 2012 London Games saved on my DVR. In fact, it's playing in the background as I write this blog.
UCLA Hall of Fame, 2019
I was recently told that when I find a new passion or hobby, I throw myself in with both feet. It's absolutely true. After watching the 2012 Games, I became obsessed with watching any and all coverage of gymnastics. I had all the elite meets written down in my planner, scheduling them to record on my DVR, just so I could watch them over and over again when nothing else was on TV.
In 2017, I became a Rutgers University gymnastics season ticket holder. The four home meets were some of my absolute favorite Saturday nights. I will never forget watching Rutgers upset Penn State during the 2019 season, nor will I forget catching a leotard that one of the girls on the team threw into the crowd in 2018.
You may be wondering, did this girl ever do gymnastics? Nope. I've never competed in the sport when I was a kid. However, after falling in love with the sport through years of watching it, I decided to give it a try myself.
Randolph Gymnastics, Summer 2019
I've always been unhappy with the 15 extra pounds I'd put on during college. The stress eating, the junk food, the midnight Dunkin runs, it all added up on my body. Combine the horrible nutrition with no exercise regimen, and here we are. I truly don't believe that I am overweight, I just need to lose those 15 extra pounds and I'd be happy.
I am not a fan of going to the gym. I think that stems from the fact that I literally have no idea how to use anything except for the treadmill and elliptical. I get bored pretty quickly so I needed a way to occupy my workout time with something I enjoyed. I found out that a local gym was offering adult beginner gymnastics classes. The thought had crossed my mind many times so I took a shot and signed up.
In my head, I was going to be able to compete against Olympians, but after my first night of class, I had a new found respect for the athletes who compete in gymnastics. I don't think I could walk right for a week. Holy soreness! However, what I wasn't expecting was to have fun while working out and doing something good to fuel my body. I threw myself in and did whatever my coach would ask me.
Since I had covered so many meets and attended so many competitions, I was pretty familiar with the gymnastics lingo. I wanted to learn how to do a flip off the vault, but because I have ankle problems, running down the vault runway wasn't in the cards for me. Forget the uneven bars, those things look like a death trap. I didn't have any skills to throw on the floor exercise so off to the balance beam I went.
Being up on the balance beam was an exhilarating experience. When you watch gymnastics, you often forget that the balance beam is 4 inches wide. When women are competing on the beam, they make it look effortless. That's the whole point, don't let them see you struggle. The first night on the beam, I fell off a dozen times, but it's all about getting back up and trying again.
2019 USA NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships, Bridgeport CT
The best part of my job is getting the ability to cover all the things I love. The days and nights that I spend at gymnastics meets are always fun because they simply don't feel like work. What other job in the world do you get to combine all the things you love to do and get paid to attend events? There is nothing else like it in the world!
Now that we are in 2021, I am looking forward to the rescheduled 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. Until the 2021 Summer Games, I'll be here in my little bedroom, watching all the gymnastics reruns that I can.
Signing off,
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