University of Minnesota Athletics
Achieving the Goal: Junior Gymnast Laura Johnson
4/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
So, while the rest of her team has completed the season, Laura is still training hard in preparation for next week’s NCAA meet. While collegiate gymnastics is very much team- oriented, this week of practice has brought Laura back to her roots in club gymnastics, where the sport is an individual one. This week’s training sessions have been an abrupt change for Laura, especially since the Golden Gopher team is such a close-knit one.
“This feels like club gymnastics,” Laura said. “I miss my teammates so much, they are all such great girls, and we provide so much motivation for each other.”
Without the motivation of her teammates in the gym with her, she is working closely with her coaches in order to prepare for the NCAA Championship. Her coaches have adapted the workout routine to fit exactly what Laura needs this week.
“Practice is totally focused on me right now,” she explained. “It’s April, and I’ve been training hard for a long time, so I’m getting to lay back a little bit, but not too much. I’ve been working on my routines all year, so now I’m focusing on the little things, to avoid any little form deductions.”
Not only has Laura been training hard for many months, which can take a toll on one’s body, she’s had an additional challenge to deal over the last month. Laura has been experiencing vertigo, a condition where she feels dizzy and unsteady, and often feels like her surroundings are moving. It’s similar to the sensation a person would feel after spinning around in a circle really fast, then coming to a stand still. This condition has been difficult for Laura to work with since she competes in a sport where balance and steadiness are absolutely necessary. The vertigo is worse when she goes upside-down, so her coaches have taken it into consideration when planning her practice sessions, allowing her to go upside-down on a limited basis.
“Obviously, I can’t stop going upside-down all together, but I’m doing it less than usual” she explained. “This is going to go away at some point, in fact I thought it would be gone by now. I have a week left until I compete at NCAAs, so there’s still a chance that it will be gone before then.”
In light of her situation with vertigo, Laura’s performances over the last month are even more impressive. She has been the team’s top performer on bars this season, an event that requires going upside-down more than any other. She was also the team’s top scorer on beam at the regional championship last weekend, and balance and steadiness are critical on the beam.
Laura also competes on the vault and floor, and has been the team’s only all around performer since freshman Angela Walker was injured in the meet at Washington on Jan. 28. She has competed in every event at every meet of her three-year collegiate career, and has been successful each season. Laura has earned All-Big Ten honors in every year, garnering second-team honors as a freshman before being named to the first team in her sophomore and junior seasons. She ranks among the top six on Minnesota’s all-time top performers list in four events. She’s tied for third on vault (9.925), tied for second on bars (9.950), tied for sixth on beam (9.900), and second in the all around (39.575).
Minnesota will be represented at the NCAA Championship for the first time since the 2002 season when the Gophers qualified as a team for the national championship. Since Laura was still in high school when Minnesota last qualified for nationals, this will be her first experience at the NCAA meet.
“I’m not really sure what to expect, but I’m so excited to have the chance to be at the NCAA meet,” Laura said. “I’m excited to watch all the top teams in the country and see what they’re doing. Hopefully I’ll be able to bring some ideas back to my team.”
Being the only member of her team to qualify for the national meet this season, Laura will be representing her whole team, and definitely feels some pressure to perform well. “I’ve worked so hard this season, so I hope it all pays off next week,” she said. “I just really want to perform well.”
Laura’s parents will be in attendance at the NCAA Championship, and several of her teammates are trying to make arrangements to travel to the competition to support Laura. “It means so much to me to have so much support from my family and friends,” she said. “If my teammates can’t be there, I will completely understand, but I would be so thrilled if they were there. Our team came together so well this season, we really pushed each other and accomplished a lot. Every one of my teammates deserves to be competing there.”
While the Gophers didn’t qualify for the national championship as a team, and Laura wishes she would be going to the NCAA meet with her teammates, she is excited about the opportunity she will have at the NCAA Championship.
“I can’t say that I expected to qualify for the NCAA meet, but I was hopeful,” Laura said. “Making it to nationals has always been the goal since I got here. It’s really nice to achieve that goal.”
Laura will be competing in the second session of the NCAA Championship, which starts at 7 p.m. on April 21. She will rotate with Georgia, and will start the meet on the vault. If she qualifies for the event finals, she will compete again on Saturday, April 23.
Story by Sara Berhow, Athletic Communications contact for women's gymnastics Laura Johnson has reached elite status in the realm of collegiate women’s gymnastics. Not only has she been a top performer for the Golden Gophers throughout her three-year career at Minnesota, and this season Laura has qualified to compete at the NCAA Championship in the all around. Earning a trip to the national championship is quite an accomplishment, considering that only 12 individuals qualify in the all around.
So, while the rest of her team has completed the season, Laura is still training hard in preparation for next week’s NCAA meet. While collegiate gymnastics is very much team- oriented, this week of practice has brought Laura back to her roots in club gymnastics, where the sport is an individual one. This week’s training sessions have been an abrupt change for Laura, especially since the Golden Gopher team is such a close-knit one.
“This feels like club gymnastics,” Laura said. “I miss my teammates so much, they are all such great girls, and we provide so much motivation for each other.”
Without the motivation of her teammates in the gym with her, she is working closely with her coaches in order to prepare for the NCAA Championship. Her coaches have adapted the workout routine to fit exactly what Laura needs this week.
“Practice is totally focused on me right now,” she explained. “It’s April, and I’ve been training hard for a long time, so I’m getting to lay back a little bit, but not too much. I’ve been working on my routines all year, so now I’m focusing on the little things, to avoid any little form deductions.”
Not only has Laura been training hard for many months, which can take a toll on one’s body, she’s had an additional challenge to deal over the last month. Laura has been experiencing vertigo, a condition where she feels dizzy and unsteady, and often feels like her surroundings are moving. It’s similar to the sensation a person would feel after spinning around in a circle really fast, then coming to a stand still. This condition has been difficult for Laura to work with since she competes in a sport where balance and steadiness are absolutely necessary. The vertigo is worse when she goes upside-down, so her coaches have taken it into consideration when planning her practice sessions, allowing her to go upside-down on a limited basis.
“Obviously, I can’t stop going upside-down all together, but I’m doing it less than usual” she explained. “This is going to go away at some point, in fact I thought it would be gone by now. I have a week left until I compete at NCAAs, so there’s still a chance that it will be gone before then.”
In light of her situation with vertigo, Laura’s performances over the last month are even more impressive. She has been the team’s top performer on bars this season, an event that requires going upside-down more than any other. She was also the team’s top scorer on beam at the regional championship last weekend, and balance and steadiness are critical on the beam.
Laura also competes on the vault and floor, and has been the team’s only all around performer since freshman Angela Walker was injured in the meet at Washington on Jan. 28. She has competed in every event at every meet of her three-year collegiate career, and has been successful each season. Laura has earned All-Big Ten honors in every year, garnering second-team honors as a freshman before being named to the first team in her sophomore and junior seasons. She ranks among the top six on Minnesota’s all-time top performers list in four events. She’s tied for third on vault (9.925), tied for second on bars (9.950), tied for sixth on beam (9.900), and second in the all around (39.575).
Minnesota will be represented at the NCAA Championship for the first time since the 2002 season when the Gophers qualified as a team for the national championship. Since Laura was still in high school when Minnesota last qualified for nationals, this will be her first experience at the NCAA meet.
“I’m not really sure what to expect, but I’m so excited to have the chance to be at the NCAA meet,” Laura said. “I’m excited to watch all the top teams in the country and see what they’re doing. Hopefully I’ll be able to bring some ideas back to my team.”
Being the only member of her team to qualify for the national meet this season, Laura will be representing her whole team, and definitely feels some pressure to perform well. “I’ve worked so hard this season, so I hope it all pays off next week,” she said. “I just really want to perform well.”
Laura’s parents will be in attendance at the NCAA Championship, and several of her teammates are trying to make arrangements to travel to the competition to support Laura. “It means so much to me to have so much support from my family and friends,” she said. “If my teammates can’t be there, I will completely understand, but I would be so thrilled if they were there. Our team came together so well this season, we really pushed each other and accomplished a lot. Every one of my teammates deserves to be competing there.”
While the Gophers didn’t qualify for the national championship as a team, and Laura wishes she would be going to the NCAA meet with her teammates, she is excited about the opportunity she will have at the NCAA Championship.
“I can’t say that I expected to qualify for the NCAA meet, but I was hopeful,” Laura said. “Making it to nationals has always been the goal since I got here. It’s really nice to achieve that goal.”
Laura will be competing in the second session of the NCAA Championship, which starts at 7 p.m. on April 21. She will rotate with Georgia, and will start the meet on the vault. If she qualifies for the event finals, she will compete again on Saturday, April 23.
Story by Sara Berhow, Athletic Communications contact for women's gymnastics
