High School Senior Series

GKC: Your coach, Ann Kolasa, tells me that you are an incredible natural talent, and that you transitioned from being an Excel competitor to JO very quickly. Tell us a little about your gymnastics background and history as well as what or who inspired you to become a gymnast?

JM: I officially started gymnastics when I was seven years old. A friend invited me to a party and I have been in the gym ever since. I started in a recreational class and a few months later I was invited to the team. I was most excited to try floor and bars. Gymnastics was a great way for me to release energy because as a kid I was very energetic. I broke a few lamps, as I used to do cartwheels throughout the house. As far as inspiration is concerned, I was always inspired by the older girls in the gym who were doing advanced skills. I would look at them and tell myself that I would be able to do those skills real soon. Additionally, I would watch college gymnastics every Friday night. It was so exciting to see the girls doing such big skills in an arena with so many fans. Lastly, my parents have been a great inspiration to me. They are the support and motivation I use to stay focused in my gymnastics career.

GKC: Congratulations on signing with U of Missouri! That must be exciting for you! How did choosing that school come about for you and what was the recruiting process like?

JM: 2019 was a very important year for my recruiting process. I ended up having my best competition season, later qualifying to J.O. Nationals. When the season was over, I continued to send colleges my gymnastics videos. Soon, they began contacting me, asking me a few things about my gymnastics career. In the summer, college coaches began offering me scholarships to their schools, which was very exciting. For the next few months, I visited schools, trying to get a feel for what it was like and to see if I could picture myself going there. After visiting the University of Missouri, I knew it was where I wanted to go. The campus was beautiful and the facilities were top notch. Overall, the recruiting process was nerve racking at times, but was so much fun and a great experience.

GKC: What has it been like to train during the pandemic? How long were you out of the gym?

JM: Training during the pandemic has definitely been different. Back in June of 2020 when we first started training again, everything felt so weird. It was like my body had forgotten what it was like to do gymnastics. Since we were out for about three months, and the longest break I’d ever taken off of gymnastics was one week for a vacation, Ann made our summer hours much longer. In the past, summer practices were 4.5 hours, but after we were shut down for so long, practice became 6.5 hours. Most of my summer was spent at practice because after, I would be too tired to do anything. I would definitely say the extra hours in the gym was well worth it because now I feel that I am back to where I was before the pandemic arrived.

GKC: What was it like for you to get back into the gym, was it hard to get your skills back or did you find it came naturally?

JM: Getting back into the routine of going to practice everyday was definitely exciting because I wasn't stuck in my house and it was something to keep me busy. Trying to get skills back was definitely a challenge especially on bars. In quarantine, about every other day when the weather was good, I would go outside and use my airtrack. So, when we got back to practice, tumbling was not too difficult; it was bars that took the most effort. After a few weeks, everything started to feel a little more normal and training started to become easier.

GKC: I can't believe the incredible height and power of your repulsion on vault! Is that your favorite event?

JM: Vault is definitely my favorite event. Ever since I was young it has been my best event and I believe that’s why it’s my favorite. At competitions, vault is the quickest event to show the judges and you get to go twice if you happen to make a mistake or if you want to make it better. Every other event if you mess up, you only get one shot, but vault basically gives you a second chance. The second chance is what I will miss most in college gymnastics.

GKC: What injuries, if any, have you had as a gymnast?

JM: Thankfully, the only injury I’ve had as a gymnast was in 2019, where I had a stress fracture in my second metatarsal. From the winter of 2019 to about February of 2020, I was in a boot to heal my foot. Before we got shut down, I was only competing two or three events at meets so I wouldn’t put too much force on my foot. So far, I have not been a gymnast who had to go through a lot of injuries, which I am very happy about.

GKC: What are you most looking forward to competing in college? Do you have any idea what you'd like to study?

JM: I am most looking forward to the team atmosphere in college. The main difference between college gymnastics and JO is that in JO, you are competing for an individual title. I am so excited not to just compete for myself but to compete for the team and win. I think it is so much fun to have a different kind of pressure on you while competing. For me, I feel more accomplished that I played my role as a part of the team and not just doing good for myself. Right now, I am thinking about majoring in business. I think it will be a good major for me, as I am not quite sure what exactly it is I want to do, but it can send me on a path with a few options.

GKC: What do you like to do in your spare time?

JM: In my free time, I like to bake and watch movies. Baking is really fun because I always find cool recipes online and try my best to make sure the food comes out the way it is supposed to. Watching movies is also very fun when I find a good, intriguing, action movie. I love the suspense that occurs in action movies because it keeps me wanting to watch. My biggest pet peeve is when movies leave off on a cliffhanger and do not make a sequel.

GKC: Are there any shows you have binge watched recently or that you recommend?

JM: During quarantine, I watched Jane the Virgin, which was really good. This show has five seasons with twenty-two episodes each and I finished it within a month. There was not much to do during that time so, I watched a lot of TV. I really enjoyed this show because it was a mix of mystery and comedy, which I think is a great combination.

GKC: Do you have a favorite food?

JM: My favorite food is crab legs. I absolutely love seafood, but crab legs are my favorite. When I was younger, my gym would always enter us into a competition in Atlantic City, NJ, which had a buffet with all you can eat crab legs. My dad would always crack them open for me, but soon he gave up. So, unless I learned to open them myself, I was not going to eat. Eventually it became second nature and I was cracking them open easily!

GKC: What are your goals or expectations for the rest of this season (besides getting through it!)

JM: For the rest of the season, I would like to see myself become more consistent. This only comes with repetitions and more practice but I think I am definitely capable of reaching this goal. Hopefully, this pandemic does not shut us down again and I can qualify to JO Nationals for one last time.