University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Freshman Spotlight: David Pochinka
11/21/2018 1:51:00 PM | Men's Gymnastics
The second freshman to be featured in our Freshman Spotlight series is David Pochinka. Pochinka is a native of Plano, Texas. He competed for WOGA Gymnastics Club and graduated from Plano Senior High School. He is a two-time national team member and a two-time P&G qualifier. He won a gold medal on parallel bars and rings and was an all-around silver medalist at the 2017 national competition. His older brother, Yaroslav, competed on the Gopher men's gymnastics team from 2014-2018 and was an All-American on vault and an All-American scholar.
Previous Freshman Spotlights: Tyler Davis
Gopher Sports: How has your time on campus and the team been so far?
David Pochinka: It has been really amazing! I love the campus and I really like how it feels like it's own little city.
GS: What are you most looking forward to in your first school year and season?
DP: I am just trying to grind out my freshman year, but can't wait for the season to start. I'm really looking forward to competing with my teammates and the energy we will bring to the Pav.
GS: Why did you choose the University of Minnesota?
DP: I chose the University of Minnesota because I really liked the coaching staff and how close the team was. Coming from junior gymnastics, I never really experienced a great team atmosphere like the one this team has. There are never dull days in the gym and I really feel like we're more of a family than just teammates.
GS: How did you get into gymnastics?
DP: Well, my parents are Russian, so it's the norm to put kids into gymnastics and it just stuck with me.
GS: What is your favorite gymnastics memory?
DP: My favorite gymnastics memory has to be winning a bronze medal on parallel bars at the Voronin Cup. The Voronin Cup, held in Russia, was my first international competition, so I got to compete with some world class gymnasts from around the world. Getting a medal was one of the best feelings.
GS: What are your hobbies outside of gymnastics?
DP: I don't do much outside of school and gymnastics, but in my downtime, I play FIFA.
GS: What is one thing Gopher fans should know about you?
DP: One thing Gopher fans should know about me is that if I was a cereal I'd be Cheerios because I'm kind of bland.