The Pit Activity Book April Edition 2014 | Page 11

&

JANA
What are some of the best
aspects of being a professional
gymnast/athlete?

How do you overcome mental
blocks/fears in the gym?

“Professional gymnastics is the next level of
gymnastics, it is great to finally be appreciated
as a sport outside of the summer Olympics.”

“I had to learn to trust myself and trust my coaches.
It was not an easy task and there were times where
I wanted to find ways to get out of doing whatever
it was that I was scared of. I knew that this wasnʼt
the solution and forced myself to face my fears and
accomplish what I needed to. At times I even bribed
myself.“

Why do you feel the Pro
Gymnastics Challenge is a great
event?
“I believe that the Pro Gymnastics Challenge is
a great event because it not only lets retired
athletes (like myself) be able to perform and
compete again, but it also allows the
spectators to be able to see a wide variety of
top level athletes from all over the world in one
place. They even have the opportunity to meet
these famous athletes and get autographs as
well as pictures.”

What are some of the differences
between traditional gymnastics and the
Pro Gymnastics Challenge?

“Traditional gymnastics consists of four events
where as the Pro Gymnastics Challenge consists of
6 different events. Another big difference
amongst the two is that in traditional gymnastics
you must perform a routine on each event. In the
Pro Gymnastics Challenge however, you only
perform single skills or sequences, but no
routines.”

What kind of training advice would you
give a young gymnast?
“There will be bumps in the road during your
training but you can always persevere with hard
work. And donʼt forget t