Nelson named top Aggie
Utah Statesman: This week you were named Western Gymnastics Conference Gymnast of the Week for the third time and USU Athlete of the Week for the third time. How do you feel about that, and are you surprised at the honor?
Meagan Nelson: It’s exciting and it’s a lot of fun. It’s news to me half the time. I don’t find out until people talk to me, but it is a great honor to be named three times in anything and just to be lucky enough to get it at my own school, let alone the Western Gymnastics Conference.
US: You’ve set a school record by scoring over 39.000 in your last six meets. How hard is it to maintain that kind of consistency?
MN: You don’t really think about it. I don’t go in going ‘Oh my God, I need to score 39 and improve on what I’ve already done.’ I just go in wanting to be as consistent as I can.
US: What was it like a couple of weeks ago competing against a top team like the University of Utah?
MN: It was tons of fun. You’re so motivated, and it’s a rival team and they’re a top team, so all you want to do is go out there and do your best.
US: What do you expect from Friday’s meet against BYU, and how much do you know about that rivalry?
MN: I don’t know. I know it’s a Utah team, so of course it’s going to be a rival. I just want to go out there and do my best, and the team just go out there and be as consistent as we can.
US: Has the transition between high school and college, especially with the amount of time you spend in training, been difficult academically?
MN: Actually it’s easier in college than it was in high school, because back home we would spend a ton more hours in the gym. I would be there right after school until the time I went to bed, so it’s harder to find study time. Here, since it’s more structured, we have a lot more time to focus in on studying.
US: How many hours a week do you spend in the gym?
MN: We spend about 20 hours a week, because that’s all we can do.
US: What music do you do your floor routine to, and how did you choose it?
MN: It’s an upbeat techno mix kind of music. I can’t do slow music. I really like to have the upbeat to get me kind of pumped up. That’s why I choose the techno upbeat music.
US: The team has been on a couple of road trips already this season. Do you like the traveling, and did you anticipate traveling as much as you have?
MN: Traveling is hard. It’s a lot of fun because you get really close to your team and you’re together for a couple of days at a time. It is a little more than I expected, because in club you only do three or four meets that are out of town. We’ve already done that, and we’re just halfway through our season. We still have road trips to go on.
US: What is your favorite thing to do in your spare time or when you’re not doing gymnastics?
MN: Spare time? I just really like to sit down and enjoy a good movie or just sitting down and relaxing.
US: When you first start out in gymnastics, how long does it take you to be able to do the splits?
MN: Some people never get them, it just depends. You really have to work at them to get it. A lot of people it would take them a lifetime to get. Other people are just naturally more flexible, so they can get them right away.
–slbk5@cc.usu.edu