Enak Alfonso talked about his experience as a former Florida State University gymnast.
Her Campus (HC): How many years were you on the FSU gymnastics team?
Enak Alfonso (EA): Three years.
HC: What was it like being on an FSU sports team? Did it give you more school spirit?
EA: It was a great experience. I got to learn a lot about people and just have that team spirit and support each other through difficult times. If we did well, we would cheer and have fun together, so that was a really nice part about it—was that team collaboration, no one stands alone. It definitely did give me more school spirit being on the team. I learned chants, and we created our own chants, so that was a really fun thing that we did.
HC: What was your main motivation for being in gymnastics?
EA: I wasn’t good at any other sport. Gymnastics was the sport that clicked with me when I was younger. I just grew and made so many improvements and stuck with it. It’s also something special, not a lot of people do gymnastics, which I thought was cool to do something different.
HC: What schools did you compete against?
EA: We competed against the University of Florida, Emory, University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and more.
HC: Did you ever get nervous at competitions?
EA: For sure I would get nervous! I’m a competitive person and I really don’t like to lose! So, I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. You just have to remember it’s all about having fun.
HC: How many years of experience do you have in gymnastics?
EA: I’ve done gymnastics for 13 years, so it’s been a long time!
HC: What is your favorite gymnastics move to do or the one you are best at?
EA: My favorite is called the Jaegar, it’s like a high bar. You do a front flip and then you catch the bar. It’s my favorite because you have the suspense of quiet and then you catch the bar and everyone cheers.
HC: What was your favorite part about being on the team?
EA: My favorite part was just having that team because sometimes people forget that gymnastics is a team sport. You do compete alone and you have your own scores. But, just having people that you competed with was motivating that you all are in this together and you’re doing this for your school, so that was nice.
HC: Did you ever get any injuries during your time on the gymnastics team?
EA: No, not while on the team.
HC: Do you still practice gymnastics?
EA: Not as much anymore; sometimes I go for fun, but not as much as I used to.
HC: What advice would you give to aspiring gymnasts?
EA: I would advise them to never give up. Gymnastics will tear you down, but you have to keep going and you have to push yourself. It’s really rewarding in the end when you took so much time and put so much effort into one skill and you get it. It’s really rewarding when you can do that and say to yourself that you achieved something. So that’s my advice. Never give up.
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