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Photo by: Bruce Kluckhohn
All-Around with Mary Korlin-Downs
4/2/2019 10:51:00 AM | Gymnastics
GopherSports.com caught up with a few of the gymnasts on the University of Minnesota women's gymnastics team to give fans a chance to get to know the personalities behind the incredible student-athletes who Love The Battle every day as they train at the U, continuing this week with redshirt junior Mary Korlin-Downs
The Lake Elmo, Minn. native has competed as an event specialist on the balance beam during her time as a Gophers gymnast. She began her collegiate career at Iowa State, but transferred to Minnesota prior to her sophomore season and was unable to compete due to injury. She boasts a career-high of 9.850 on the beam and a season-high score of 9.825
During her time representing the Gophers, she has contributed to 2 of the top 5 balance beam scores in program history (49.375, 49.325). In addition, she contributed to the team's posting of the second-highest team score in program history (197.500) earlier this season.
Korlin-Downs and the Gophers are headed to Baton Rouge, La. on April 4-6 in order to compete in the 2019 NCAA Regional hosted by LSU, one of four Regionals across the country. The team hopes to finish as one of the top-two teams next weekend so as to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2016.
GS: "What is your favorite gymnastics moment, either in your own career or in your time as a gymnastics fan?"
MKD: "One of my favorite gymnastics moments is when I found out I would be able to be part of the University of Minnesota gymnastics team. Transferring from schools is a difficult and scary process, but once I received reassurance that I would be able to join the team was probably one the best moments ever, especially because a week after I was accepted onto the team I tore my ACL for the third time. I was expecting for the coaches to take back their word and if I came back strong for my injury that maybe I could join the team the following year, but that wasn't the case. Jenny said she'd still love to have me a part of the team and I could work with the U of M doctors and trainers on my recovery. I am eternally grateful for being able to become a Golden Gopher gymnast; literally life changing."
GS: What made you decide to come to Minnesota over another University?"
MKD: "I've always been a Gopher fan. If you asked me who was on the team since 2006 to now, I could name them all. It was an easy choice to come back to Minnesota after my time at Iowa State, plus the amazing coaching staff and team was just the cherry on top of it all!"
GS: "What goals and expectations do you have for yourself for the rest of the 2019 season and for next year?"
MKD: "In all honesty, I just want to be proud of the performance I do for my team. This team is something special and we've worked so hard to get to where we are now in postseason; I just want this team to go out with a bang and top off one of the best seasons in program history with our best routines yet! Next year I'd like to upgrade a few things in my beam routine and get them as consistent as possible to set myself up for an amazing 2020 season!"
GS: "What do you love about competing on the beam and what are the biggest challenges of the event?"
MKD: "Oh man, I love so much about competing beam. I love the nerves, the pressure, knowing the team has my back and I have theirs, and by far my favorite thing is hitting a routine and running back to my team. I think my biggest challenge with training and competing beam is the mental aspect. Its something I've struggled with for a while, but by trusting in my training and thinking positive thoughts it's easier to stay confident and mentally tough on the competition floor.
GS: "What has been your biggest setback as an athlete/gymnast and how did you move past it?"
MKD: "I would say my biggest setback 100% is my knee injuries. My junior year in high school I tore my right ACL and came back pretty strong but then my freshman and sophomore year in college I tore my left ACL twice. Unfortunately due to those knee injuries I wasn't able to train any events other than beam. I was able to move past those injuries because of some amazing athletic trainers, coaches and teammates that supported me along the way. Learning to trust my knees again was by far one of the hardest things I've had to do but my coaches made sure I was comfortable every step of the way through the recovery process and even now, making sure I am not pushing my body past its limits."
GS: "How do you keep a positive mentality after having a tough day at practice or not performing to your own standards during a meet?"
MKD: "I try not to let my performances or practices define my day. In the end it is just gymnastics, something I chose to do and something I chose to have fun with, so I just try to see the positive in it all and start each practice or competition fresh."
GS: "What is something you're really passionate about outside of gymnastics?"
MKD: "My major, product design! I am crazy thankful that I found out that I am just as passionate about design as I am about gymnastics. There are so many things that correlate between the two and I really think that it is going to allow me a smooth transition from my gymnastics career to my actual career!"
GS: "What would you like to do after you graduate? What are your career goals?"
MKD: "I want to be able to help wounded vets as a career. I would love to be able to work along side Wounded Warrior Project and find a job that allows me to design prosthetic to better the lives of those impacted by war."
GS: "What does Loving The Battle mean to you?"
MKD: "Love the battle means taking advantage of the opportunities I have before me and embracing them no matter the circumstances. I've been blessed with the opportunity to be a University of Minnesota gymnast and even when days or practices are hard, I always have to come back to Loving the Battle and making the most of the situation I am in."
GS: "What is your favorite skill that you perform and why?"
MKD: "My favorite skill is my dismount on beam! I love the way it feels when I get a good take off from my side aerial and can feel my body rise in my layout full. Plus it gives me a decent amount of air time to see the ground and stick it!!"
GS: "What is one thing on your bucket list?"
MKD: "Go to New Zealand. I've been obsessed with New Zealand for as long as I can remember. It's the best of all worlds, you could go from skiing on the mountain one day to laying on the beach the next."
GS: "If you could get dinner with any one person, living or dead, and talk to them for a few hours, who would you choose and why?"
MKD: "I'd have dinner with my grandpa who passed away my freshman year. He was always one of my biggest supporters and I'd do anything to hang with him for a few more hours."
GS: "What is your favorite ice cream flavor?"
MKD: "Chocolate Peanut Butter."
GS: "Who would you say is your best bud on the team?"
MKD: "Oh man thats a hard question. I feel pretty close with the entire team, but if I had to choose I think it would Ryan Stach or Lexi Montgomery, they're also my roommates so we do quite a bit together!"
GS: "What are your three favorite movies?"
MKD: "Iron Man 3, Amazing Spiderman 2 and The Quiet Place."
GS: "If you could be someone else for a day, who would it be and why?"
MKD: "Iron Man. Period. Why wouldn't you want to be Iron Man?"
GS: "What would you like Gopher fans to know about you that they could never find out just by watching you compete?"
MKD: "I'm a very outgoing and friendly person, or so I'd like to think. Being able to interact with fans, campers, gymnasts, etc. gives me so much joy! I remember being a little level 5, attending all the Gopher gymnastics meets and walking through the autograph line so often that the gymnasts on the team knew my name. I'd love to develop that kind of relationship with young fans now that I am on the opposite side of the autograph table."
The No. 11 Golden Gophers will face off against Utah, BYU and Arkansas in the afternoon session of the LSU Regional on April 5. Competition begins at 2:00 p.m. CT and ESPN3 will provide live coverage of the event. The top two teams from both the morning and evening session on the 5th will move on to compete once more on the 6th for one of the two spots at the NCAA Championships.
The Lake Elmo, Minn. native has competed as an event specialist on the balance beam during her time as a Gophers gymnast. She began her collegiate career at Iowa State, but transferred to Minnesota prior to her sophomore season and was unable to compete due to injury. She boasts a career-high of 9.850 on the beam and a season-high score of 9.825
During her time representing the Gophers, she has contributed to 2 of the top 5 balance beam scores in program history (49.375, 49.325). In addition, she contributed to the team's posting of the second-highest team score in program history (197.500) earlier this season.
Korlin-Downs and the Gophers are headed to Baton Rouge, La. on April 4-6 in order to compete in the 2019 NCAA Regional hosted by LSU, one of four Regionals across the country. The team hopes to finish as one of the top-two teams next weekend so as to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2016.
GS: "What is your favorite gymnastics moment, either in your own career or in your time as a gymnastics fan?"
MKD: "One of my favorite gymnastics moments is when I found out I would be able to be part of the University of Minnesota gymnastics team. Transferring from schools is a difficult and scary process, but once I received reassurance that I would be able to join the team was probably one the best moments ever, especially because a week after I was accepted onto the team I tore my ACL for the third time. I was expecting for the coaches to take back their word and if I came back strong for my injury that maybe I could join the team the following year, but that wasn't the case. Jenny said she'd still love to have me a part of the team and I could work with the U of M doctors and trainers on my recovery. I am eternally grateful for being able to become a Golden Gopher gymnast; literally life changing."
GS: What made you decide to come to Minnesota over another University?"
MKD: "I've always been a Gopher fan. If you asked me who was on the team since 2006 to now, I could name them all. It was an easy choice to come back to Minnesota after my time at Iowa State, plus the amazing coaching staff and team was just the cherry on top of it all!"
GS: "What goals and expectations do you have for yourself for the rest of the 2019 season and for next year?"
MKD: "In all honesty, I just want to be proud of the performance I do for my team. This team is something special and we've worked so hard to get to where we are now in postseason; I just want this team to go out with a bang and top off one of the best seasons in program history with our best routines yet! Next year I'd like to upgrade a few things in my beam routine and get them as consistent as possible to set myself up for an amazing 2020 season!"
GS: "What do you love about competing on the beam and what are the biggest challenges of the event?"
MKD: "Oh man, I love so much about competing beam. I love the nerves, the pressure, knowing the team has my back and I have theirs, and by far my favorite thing is hitting a routine and running back to my team. I think my biggest challenge with training and competing beam is the mental aspect. Its something I've struggled with for a while, but by trusting in my training and thinking positive thoughts it's easier to stay confident and mentally tough on the competition floor.
GS: "What has been your biggest setback as an athlete/gymnast and how did you move past it?"
MKD: "I would say my biggest setback 100% is my knee injuries. My junior year in high school I tore my right ACL and came back pretty strong but then my freshman and sophomore year in college I tore my left ACL twice. Unfortunately due to those knee injuries I wasn't able to train any events other than beam. I was able to move past those injuries because of some amazing athletic trainers, coaches and teammates that supported me along the way. Learning to trust my knees again was by far one of the hardest things I've had to do but my coaches made sure I was comfortable every step of the way through the recovery process and even now, making sure I am not pushing my body past its limits."
GS: "How do you keep a positive mentality after having a tough day at practice or not performing to your own standards during a meet?"
MKD: "I try not to let my performances or practices define my day. In the end it is just gymnastics, something I chose to do and something I chose to have fun with, so I just try to see the positive in it all and start each practice or competition fresh."
GS: "What is something you're really passionate about outside of gymnastics?"
MKD: "My major, product design! I am crazy thankful that I found out that I am just as passionate about design as I am about gymnastics. There are so many things that correlate between the two and I really think that it is going to allow me a smooth transition from my gymnastics career to my actual career!"
GS: "What would you like to do after you graduate? What are your career goals?"
MKD: "I want to be able to help wounded vets as a career. I would love to be able to work along side Wounded Warrior Project and find a job that allows me to design prosthetic to better the lives of those impacted by war."
GS: "What does Loving The Battle mean to you?"
MKD: "Love the battle means taking advantage of the opportunities I have before me and embracing them no matter the circumstances. I've been blessed with the opportunity to be a University of Minnesota gymnast and even when days or practices are hard, I always have to come back to Loving the Battle and making the most of the situation I am in."
GS: "What is your favorite skill that you perform and why?"
MKD: "My favorite skill is my dismount on beam! I love the way it feels when I get a good take off from my side aerial and can feel my body rise in my layout full. Plus it gives me a decent amount of air time to see the ground and stick it!!"
GS: "What is one thing on your bucket list?"
MKD: "Go to New Zealand. I've been obsessed with New Zealand for as long as I can remember. It's the best of all worlds, you could go from skiing on the mountain one day to laying on the beach the next."
GS: "If you could get dinner with any one person, living or dead, and talk to them for a few hours, who would you choose and why?"
MKD: "I'd have dinner with my grandpa who passed away my freshman year. He was always one of my biggest supporters and I'd do anything to hang with him for a few more hours."
GS: "What is your favorite ice cream flavor?"
MKD: "Chocolate Peanut Butter."
GS: "Who would you say is your best bud on the team?"
MKD: "Oh man thats a hard question. I feel pretty close with the entire team, but if I had to choose I think it would Ryan Stach or Lexi Montgomery, they're also my roommates so we do quite a bit together!"
GS: "What are your three favorite movies?"
MKD: "Iron Man 3, Amazing Spiderman 2 and The Quiet Place."
GS: "If you could be someone else for a day, who would it be and why?"
MKD: "Iron Man. Period. Why wouldn't you want to be Iron Man?"
GS: "What would you like Gopher fans to know about you that they could never find out just by watching you compete?"
MKD: "I'm a very outgoing and friendly person, or so I'd like to think. Being able to interact with fans, campers, gymnasts, etc. gives me so much joy! I remember being a little level 5, attending all the Gopher gymnastics meets and walking through the autograph line so often that the gymnasts on the team knew my name. I'd love to develop that kind of relationship with young fans now that I am on the opposite side of the autograph table."
The No. 11 Golden Gophers will face off against Utah, BYU and Arkansas in the afternoon session of the LSU Regional on April 5. Competition begins at 2:00 p.m. CT and ESPN3 will provide live coverage of the event. The top two teams from both the morning and evening session on the 5th will move on to compete once more on the 6th for one of the two spots at the NCAA Championships.
Seniors Sign "M"
Monday, May 04
Press Conference: Gymnastics Season Wrap
Wednesday, April 22
Highlights: NCAA Finals
Saturday, April 18
NCAA Finals Hype
Saturday, April 18