University of Minnesota Athletics
Summer Step Back: Zach Liebler
8/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
During the academic year, the Gophers are focused on two things: school and their sport. But when classes are not in session, the Gophers are on the go! Catch up with some of the men's gymnastics team as they spend their summer on adventures far away from home or living their dreams in their own backyard.
Life outside of Cooke Hall - Islands, Quarries, Floating, and a Cabin
Although I was enrolled in two classes this summer term, I was able to spend plenty of time enjoying summer with the team! Just two days after spring semester, Ryan, Mitchell, Jordan and I spent about a week and a half at my grandmother's vacation house near San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was a much needed vacation after a long season and semester and before summer classes started up. While we were there, we explored Culebra - a smaller island about an hour and a half away by ferry. This was at the beginning of our trip and we stayed on the island for two nights. We also visited El Yunque National Rainforest, Luquillo Beach, Castillo San Felipe del Morro, Castillo San Cristobal, Old San Juan, and Isla Verde. The trip was well worth it, but as we approached the last couple of days of our trip I was definitely ready to head back to Minneapolis.
The summer fun continued back in Minnesota. A large group of us including members of the women's gymnastics team and diving team made a day trip to Waite Park, in St. Cloud to enjoy the quarry area. While there, we enjoyed the great weather and did some "cliff" jumping. The water was pretty cold, but the thrill of jumping made it worth it.
Not too long after our trip to the quarries, we got another large group to float down the river through Welch Mill Canoe and Tubing in Welch, Minn. This is something we do at least once every summer and is something all of us look forward to during summer. Each person has a tube and all of our tubes are tied together with twine, however, almost every time we go, we end up getting split into multiple groups during the 3-hour float; this always keeps it interesting!
Another highlight of my summer was spending a weekend at Jordan Poganski's cabin on Long Lake, Wisconsin. Jordan and I were former club teammates along with incoming freshman Ben Winkel. It was nice to spend some time with them out on the lake. While there, we went tubing, wakeboarding and water skiing. I learned how to wakeboard when I was much younger, but it at the time, it was something that really scared me. The weekend up at Jordan's cabin was the first time I got out on the wakeboard since I was maybe 12-years-old. At first, I was still nervous, but as soon as I got up, I realized I was much better than I had remembered!
Training at Cooke Hall
After season, I started my time off from floor and vault to rest my back. These are the two events that come very naturally to me, so it's always hard to step away from them for a couple months and focus on parallel bars and high bar. I began making a lot of progress on the parallel bars, but after returning from Puerto Rico, I had to work my way back. During June and July, I was enrolled in two classes and had a lot of assignments and midterms to focus on. I was able to focus more on my training once my first class ended. During the middle of July, I finally began to make progress in the gym. Floor came back nicely, which is always a good feeling and I found a new vault pass that is easier on my back. Recently, I have been making strides on parallel bars and high bar with skills and sequences. A big struggle for me on high bar has been inconsistency with my release moves and I have finally found release elements that are proving to be consistent! In addition to that, my skills on the bar have improved and I have been able to work more sequences and build endurance.
Thoughts on Fall
With fall semester just around the corner, I couldn't be more excited! Although it's definitely tiring during the semester between class and practice, I'm ready to get back into a schedule and find my routine. I'm moving into a new apartment before school begins, which is also extremely exciting. The first few weeks of practices are always so much fun - it's great to have all of the returning guys get back to campus, as well as seeing how the incoming freshman fit into the training style. During these first few weeks, there are big skills constantly being done in the gym, which makes it a very exciting time to be a Golden Gopher.
- Zach
