University of Minnesota Athletics
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/ Gymnastics
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Dear Gymnastics: Hannah Willmarth
2/28/2021 10:30:00 AM | Gymnastics
As the University of Minnesota women's gymnastics team approaches senior night and the last home meet of the regular season, each senior took time to reflect on a lifetime of gymnastics and put a lifetime worth of memories into a few paragraphs. Take a trip through Hannah Willmarth's personal story with the sport she has dedicated so much of her life to.
Dear Gymnastics,
Thank you for everything you have given and taught me over the last 18 years.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to flip around everyday and providing me with an outlet for my spastic energy. Thank you for getting me out of P.E. classes, allowing me to miss school for travel meets and giving me an excuse to leave high school early every day. Thank you for ensuring that I did not have too much free time. Thank you for giving me top-notch time management skills, and teaching me how to balance a sport, school and just life in general from elementary school all the way through my last semester of college.
Thank you for teaching me how to push myself and continually work toward something. Thank you for teaching me what it means to be disciplined and sacrifice things to achieve a goal. Thank you for teaching me how to overcome injuries and failure, and deal with whatever obstacles are thrown at you. Thank you for giving me the ability to persevere through anything, and teaching me to never give up because if you work hard, you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. Thank you for teaching me what it means to be passionate about something.
Thank you for the people you have brought into my life. The coaches that have believed in me, taught me lessons and brought the best gymnast and person out of me. The teammates that have had my back no matter what and have become some of my best friends. The trainers, physical therapists, doctors and advisors that have helped and mentored me through the craziest of times.
Thank you college gymnastics for giving me the coolest opportunities, teaching me how fun it can be to compete and showing me the power of having a team behind you.
Thank you gymnastics, for the lessons you have taught me, the experiences you have given me, the people you have brought into my life and the memories you have allowed me to make.
I wouldn't have this sport in my life without the support my family has given me. Thank you to my parents for putting me in gymnastics, always making sure I was doing gymnastics for fun and supporting me through everything. Thank you to my sister for sitting through countless gymnastics meets from the age of two, missing tests to come to college meets and never failing to send me a good luck text before a meet.
If you would've told the little girl that fell in love with this sport (but couldn't straighten her legs or point her toes to save her life) that she would end up competing in NCAA gymnastics, she would have never believed you.
Thank you gymnastics, for the experience of a lifetime.
GopherSports: How would you describe your Gopher women's gymnastics experience?
Hannah Willmarth: A super unique opportunity that I am so, so grateful for. I learned so much, built amazing relationships and experienced some really cool things during my Gopher gymnastics experience. I will always be thankful for that.
GS: What has been your favorite memory from your time on the team?
HW: One of my favorite memories was the first meet of the 2021 season. We had such a wild nine months leading up to it, not really knowing what the season would even look like, but we finally got to compete in the Pav and got a 197 at our first meet of the season! I will never forget the feeling I had after sticking my dismount and having the team run over to me. After everything we had been through, you could really feel the excitement of the team and the support we had for each other.
GS: What are you going to miss the most?
HW: I will miss being part of such a fun and supportive team. Being part of a college team is already so cool, but this team is really something special. This program is built so much around family and we are truly one big Gopher gymnastics family, which is so fun to be a part of.
Dear Gymnastics,
Thank you for everything you have given and taught me over the last 18 years.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to flip around everyday and providing me with an outlet for my spastic energy. Thank you for getting me out of P.E. classes, allowing me to miss school for travel meets and giving me an excuse to leave high school early every day. Thank you for ensuring that I did not have too much free time. Thank you for giving me top-notch time management skills, and teaching me how to balance a sport, school and just life in general from elementary school all the way through my last semester of college.
Thank you for teaching me how to push myself and continually work toward something. Thank you for teaching me what it means to be disciplined and sacrifice things to achieve a goal. Thank you for teaching me how to overcome injuries and failure, and deal with whatever obstacles are thrown at you. Thank you for giving me the ability to persevere through anything, and teaching me to never give up because if you work hard, you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. Thank you for teaching me what it means to be passionate about something.
Thank you for the people you have brought into my life. The coaches that have believed in me, taught me lessons and brought the best gymnast and person out of me. The teammates that have had my back no matter what and have become some of my best friends. The trainers, physical therapists, doctors and advisors that have helped and mentored me through the craziest of times.
Thank you college gymnastics for giving me the coolest opportunities, teaching me how fun it can be to compete and showing me the power of having a team behind you.
Thank you gymnastics, for the lessons you have taught me, the experiences you have given me, the people you have brought into my life and the memories you have allowed me to make.
I wouldn't have this sport in my life without the support my family has given me. Thank you to my parents for putting me in gymnastics, always making sure I was doing gymnastics for fun and supporting me through everything. Thank you to my sister for sitting through countless gymnastics meets from the age of two, missing tests to come to college meets and never failing to send me a good luck text before a meet.
If you would've told the little girl that fell in love with this sport (but couldn't straighten her legs or point her toes to save her life) that she would end up competing in NCAA gymnastics, she would have never believed you.
Thank you gymnastics, for the experience of a lifetime.
GopherSports: How would you describe your Gopher women's gymnastics experience?
Hannah Willmarth: A super unique opportunity that I am so, so grateful for. I learned so much, built amazing relationships and experienced some really cool things during my Gopher gymnastics experience. I will always be thankful for that.
GS: What has been your favorite memory from your time on the team?
HW: One of my favorite memories was the first meet of the 2021 season. We had such a wild nine months leading up to it, not really knowing what the season would even look like, but we finally got to compete in the Pav and got a 197 at our first meet of the season! I will never forget the feeling I had after sticking my dismount and having the team run over to me. After everything we had been through, you could really feel the excitement of the team and the support we had for each other.
GS: What are you going to miss the most?
HW: I will miss being part of such a fun and supportive team. Being part of a college team is already so cool, but this team is really something special. This program is built so much around family and we are truly one big Gopher gymnastics family, which is so fun to be a part of.
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