Q) Tell us a little bit about yourself in general.
A) I am an 18 year old freshman. I have lived the past 9 years in Houston, TX. Prior to that I lived in Marrero, LA. I trained at Cypress Academy in Houston. My favorite color is purple. My favorite actor is Will Smith.
Q) How old were you when you started gymnastics? Where? Coaches?
A) I was 6 years old when I started gymnastics at Westbank Gymnastics in Gretna, LA. My coaches were known as Mr. Bill and Ms. Joy - a husband and wife team.
Q) When did you determine that you were talented enough to compete nationally/internationally?
A) Being young, I left it in the hands of my coaches to make such decisions while I attended Cypress Academy. Being competitive on a national and international level was basically hard work paying off.
Q) Do you have a favorite gymnast? Who? What is it about that gymnast that you like in particular?
A) Dominuque Dawes because it is rare for an African American athlete to succeed at the level she has in this sport. She is a very talented gymnast.
Q) What is your favorite apparatus? Why?
A) Uneven bars is my favorite event because I like the feeling of swinging and flying, releasing and catching the bar as in mid-air. Also, the vault is another of my favorites because it is a powerful event.
Q) What was your best competition performance?
A) My best was at the 1995 World Team Trials because I did my personal best.
Q) Favorite competition location?
A) My favorite competition location was in Australia because of the friendly atmosphere the people of Adelaide showed us. The area we stayed in was a mountain on one side and ocean on the other; it was beautiful.
Q) Interesting travel experiences through gymnastics competitions?
A) An interesting travel experience was my trip to France. Shortly after we arrived, the rail workers went on strike. We had to walk back and forth to the competition venue every day.
Q) Tell us about your collegiate recruiting experience. Who recruited you, how many visits did you take, and at what point did you decide to attend the University of Alabama?
A) I was recruited by LSU, UCLA, Florida, ASU, and Alabama. I took all 5 of my recruiting trips and decided on signing day that I would attend Alabama.
Q) What skills are you currently practicing and do you expect to contribute on each apparatus this season?
A) Right now I am working on a free-hip-reverse hect on the bars.
Q) What are your academic and athletic goals for the upcoming season?
A) My academic goals for the upcoming year is to get and maintain a high GPA, which I know will take a lot of effort.
Q) Do you have a best and a worst experience involving gymnastics?
A) My best experiences involving gymnastics tend to be at competitions. I guess I really like to compete.
My worst experience involving gymnastics is that sometimes no matter how hard one tries, they can never improve the perception others have of you. My best experience was probably my first championship meet. The thrill of being on the podium, competing in front of a huge crowd, an just experiencing it all for the first time was a great feeling. |
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