It’s Juuuuust Gymnastics & a Little UCLA Magic with Kyla Ross
Samantha Peszek is on a mission to connect athletes, coaches, and parents with the best resources the gymnastics world has to offer. Utilizing Samantha’s gymnastics network, (she really does have cool friends) guests will be experts in their field and shed a light on hot topics, tips for improvement, and inspiration. Listeners will have the opportunity to learn from some of the sport’s greats, participate in giveaways, and apply relevant tips to everyday life, in and out of the gym.
Sam welcomes Kyla Ross, the first female gymnast ever to win Olympic, World, and NCAA Championship gold medals. Kyla is a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, 2014 World Championship gold medalist, and 2018 NCAA team champion. In addition, she is an eleven-time All-American, five-time World Championship medalist, and was the 2017 NCAA bars and beam champion. Kyla currently competes for the UCLA Bruins, and is widely considered one of the premier athletes in the sport of gymnastics.
In this episode, Sam and Kyla break down UCLA’s latest meet against the University of Utah, specifically their performance on bars. Kyla shares some insights into how she prepares prior to collegiate meets and how she got the nickname Kyla ‘Boss’ Ross. Kyla talks about the peaks and valleys of her Elite gymnastics experience. Finally, Kyla discusses her goals for the current season, which include achieving a perfect ten on floor and winning another national championship at UCLA.
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Key Takeaways
- Sam thanks her sponsors, Tumbl Trak and Destira
- Introducing today’s guest, Kyla Ross
- Sam and Kyla recall early memories of each other
- Sam lets Kyla know about the Reddit thread dedicated to her
- How Kyla prepares before meets
- Kyla breaks down UCLA’s latest meet against the University of Utah
- Kyla’s first thought when she scores a 10
- How Kyla got the nickname “Boss”
- Kyla discusses how her team performed in vault, floor, and beam
- Kyla talks about her floor coach, Jo Wieber
- How Kyla has improved her floor presence
- Kya talks about what happened in the last event on beam
- How Kyla deals with nerves while competing
- Kyla’s mindset for the 2019 season
- Kyla recalls the most inspirational teammates she’s competed with
- How Olympians are treated in collegiate gymnastics
- The Elite skills that Kyla is bringing back next year
- Kyla’s goals for her senior year at UCLA
- Balancing academics and gymnastics
- Kyla tells the story about her high school notes
- The hardest thing about college
- Kyla’s favorite thing about her roommates
- Kyla’s favorite Miss Val lesson
- How Kyla feels about this being Miss Val’s last year
- Speculating on who will be the next coach of UCLA
- Kyla’s dream coaching staff
- How Kyla handled the transition her body went through going from Elite to collegiate gymnastics
- Kyla discusses the insecurities she felt about her body during freshman year
- The unique challenges of being a tall gymnast
- Sam takes a moment to thank her sponsors once again
- Why Kyla chose college over competing in another Olympics
- Kyla talks about always wanting to compete in collegiate gymnastics
- The decision to attend and compete at UCLA
- Advice Kyla would give her younger self
- Peaks and valleys of Kyla’s Elite gymnastics experience
- Kyla’s favorite international meet (other than the Olympics)
- Kyla’s proudest gymnastics accomplishment
- Kyla describes her current relationships with her Olympic teammates
- How college has changed Kyla’s worldview
- How Kyla manages to remain humble
- Kyla’s major and plans after college
- How Kyla met her boyfriend, Justin
- Kyla reveals one thing people can do to get 1% better each day
