Her Campus Gets to Know Gabby Douglas!

On April 2, 2013, Bucknell had the privilege of hosting Gabby Douglas, winner of both the individual and team all-around gymnastic competitions at the London Olympics this past summer. Winning gold skyrocketed Gabby to international fame as the first woman of color in Olympic history to become an individual all-around champion and the first American gymnast to win a gold medal in both the individual all-around and team competitions. CCs Sarah Dubow and Liz Bacharach were lucky enough to go to the Meet and Greet with the Olympic star. Though not a formal interview, Sarah and Liz chatted with Gabby over bull dip and pita (which Gabby ate too!) and got to know the star off the mat. Here are some of the fabulous things we learned from talking to Ms. Douglas!

1.     The Fab 5 have a group text going. We imagine the convo something like this…

Douglas: Just got to weird school with cows…good ice cream though!  

Raisman: Just made out with Mark Ballas <3 Totally hotter than Lochte

Maroney: I am so not impressed.  

2.     Her favorite show is the Vampire Diaries and she even got to make a cameo a few weeks ago.

3.     That awesome purple peplum dress she wore? Stop your online search because the designer made it just for her!

4.     Girl can rock 5-inch Louboutins… we couldn’t be more jealous.

5.     After winning gold, we asked her what the first thought that went through her head was…“Mcdonalds!” she replied, excitedly. Did we mention we’re totally in love with her?

6.      Her favorite celebrity she has met was Beyonce. She said she was totally starstruck!

7.     Her mom hung out with Michael Phelps’ mom during the Olympics.

8.     …and yes, Gabby did get to hang out with the swim team and says the boys are even hotter in person.

9.     Sometimes, when Gabby felt like quitting and just wanted to be a normal kid she said she wanted to “Run track and work at Chick-fil-a”…because working at Chick-fil-a is completely normal.

10.  Before a competition, Gabby likes to listen to pump up music, anyone from Drake to Kanye West.

11.  Gabby thinks the fact that speed walking is an Olympic sport is slightly ridiculous and told us how the Fab 5 imitated them walking around the Olympic Village during their time in London.

12.  When asked if she ever gets a chance to stop traveling she replied, “Uh, yeah, let’s go with that.” We admire you girl!

13.  Wondering how those unitards don’t ride up? Gabby told us they indeed do, and you get a point off if you pick your wedgie. So you’re either left with losing a point or the audience seeing your booty. Your choice.

14.  When Gabby met Oprah, she could hardly believe she was real and said she was just as nice and warm as she appears on screen.

15.  When asked if she talked to people from other countries during the competition, she said that though the Fab 5 tried, it was highly discouraged by the coaches. So does that mean they really do try to make Gymnastics like “Mean Girls? ‘In the words of Joanne from “Stick It,’ “It’s not called gym-nice-tics.”

16.  Gabby is the youngest of all of her siblings. Her older brother runs track and her older sister was the one who introduced her to gymnastics.

17.  When performing, Gabby told us that she clears her mind and doesn’t think of anything but the moves at hand.

18.  Now that she is publicly recognized, when Gabby wants to go out she needs to go incognito and slips on her shades and a hat.

19.  On our suggestion, Gabby went to the Freez! She ordered an Oreo Freez with strawberries and fudge.

20.  Though we offered a tour, a plethora of Bucknell Squirrels to accompany her “Flying Squirrel” title, and explained how great she’d look in orange and blue, Gabby currently has no plans to attend Bucknell or any other college as she needs to focus on getting back into the gym and perfecting her tricks for 2016. 

Overall, we were absolutely inspired by Gabby Douglas who, at just 17, has already accomplished so much. More than that, we were inspired by her emphasis on staying true to herself, never giving up, and chasing her dreams. In May, Gabby will start training for the 2016 Olympics. We had a great time getting to know her and can’t wait to see her in Brazil!