University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
/ Gymnastics
Meet the Freshmen: Lauren Pearl
9/16/2021 6:00:00 PM | Gymnastics
MINNEAPOLIS- The Gophers women's gymnastics team welcomes five incoming freshmen to the team for the 2021-22 season and it is time to get to know our newcomers!
Lauren Pearl is a native of Milford, Mass. She competed for Brestyan's American Gymnastics and attended Milford High School. Pearl has also trained with two-time Olympian Aly Raisman for four years. Pearl is a three-time regional champion on beam and vault, and a three-time JO national qualifier. At the 2017 Regional Championship she placed first on vault, beam, floor and all-around while taking a silver medal on bars. Pearl continued on to win the beam title at the 2017 JO National Championships. In 2018, she was a GK U.S. Classic Jr. Elite beam medalist and a state champion on vault, beam, floor, and all-around. Pearl won a silver medal on vault and bronze medal on beam at the 2018 JO National Championships.
GopherSports: Why did you choose the University of Minnesota?Â
Lauren Pearl: The coaching staff was a major influence on my decision to attend the University of Minnesota. The coaches here were so welcoming and I could tell they really care about us as people rather than just an athlete competing for their team. This school also had many majors to choose from, and coming into the school undecided gave me hope that I could find something I love to do during my time here. Lastly, I absolutely loved the campus when I first visited and I could tell the second I stepped onto campus that I could see myself here.Â
GS: When did you start gymnastics and why did you fall in love with the sport?
LP: I started gymnastics when I was four years old. I was a very crazy child and I needed a place to let all of my energy out. Right when I finished my first practice, I realized how much I loved the thrill of learning new skills and being around a bunch of other girls who loved the sport as much as I did. It was a great place to go knowing that I would leave feeling accomplished with myself as I began to progress more and more everyday.Â
GS: How have the upperclassmen welcomed you to be part of the team?
LP: The upperclassmen have done such an amazing job welcoming me and my other freshman teammates to the team. A lot of the girls have asked how we were doing with adjusting here, and they have made sure that we all know they are here for us if we ever have any questions or concerns.
GS: What has been your proudest gymnastics moment so far?
LP: My proudest moment of my gymnastics career was making elite and competing at the US Classics. I was also very proud of myself when I won beam at nationals.Â
GS: What was it like to compete at JO Nationals and what did you learn from that experience?
LP: It was very cool competing at JO Nationals. I learned many things about myself while being there, and I gained a lot of confidence knowing I was among all of the best level 10s in the country. I loved the atmosphere of the competition because it was a lot more fun compared to the serious meets I usually competed at. It was also very fun to compete with other girls from your region and build bonds with them that you can hold on to moving forwards in life. A lot of the girls that were in my group I still communicate with today going into college.Â
GS: What was it like to train and become friends with Aly Raisman at Brestyan's?
LP: It was very inspiring to train with Aly Raisman. She always worked so hard in the gym, and by watching her work her absolute hardest no matter what the circumstance was put such motivation in me to follow in her footsteps. Watching all of her hard work pay off in her competitions showed me that by giving my all and trusting the process of gymnastics as a whole, can definitely lead me to amazing places in my future. Not only did I look up to her in that sense, but she was also a great friend and teammate to have. She was serious when she had to be, but at the same time she always knew how to be funny and put a smile on our faces when we all needed it the most. She helped me overcome many bumps in the road by giving me encouraging long talks both during practice and after practice over the phone. She always went the extra mile for people and she was a great role model to me of how to be a great teammate to others. She was an amazing influence for me to have throughout my time at Brestyan's.Â
GS: What is your favorite event to compete on and why?
LP: My favorite event to compete is beam. It all starts with practice, and in practice I always feel very confident performing my skills knowing I am able to hit them. I love the feeling of doing hard skills and then coming down onto the beam and sticking them. So, competing beam is my favorite because it is the one event that I can always see my hard work paying off on. All of the repetitions that I took in practice show when I am competing, and I love that. It makes all of the practice worth it after all.Â
Quick Hits:
Favorite music genre: Rap and Country
Last TV show you binge watched: The Vampire Diaries
Favorite season: SummerÂ
Go to ice cream flavor: Chocolate Peanut Butter
Celebrity Crush: Justin BieberÂ
Lauren Pearl is a native of Milford, Mass. She competed for Brestyan's American Gymnastics and attended Milford High School. Pearl has also trained with two-time Olympian Aly Raisman for four years. Pearl is a three-time regional champion on beam and vault, and a three-time JO national qualifier. At the 2017 Regional Championship she placed first on vault, beam, floor and all-around while taking a silver medal on bars. Pearl continued on to win the beam title at the 2017 JO National Championships. In 2018, she was a GK U.S. Classic Jr. Elite beam medalist and a state champion on vault, beam, floor, and all-around. Pearl won a silver medal on vault and bronze medal on beam at the 2018 JO National Championships.
GopherSports: Why did you choose the University of Minnesota?Â
Lauren Pearl: The coaching staff was a major influence on my decision to attend the University of Minnesota. The coaches here were so welcoming and I could tell they really care about us as people rather than just an athlete competing for their team. This school also had many majors to choose from, and coming into the school undecided gave me hope that I could find something I love to do during my time here. Lastly, I absolutely loved the campus when I first visited and I could tell the second I stepped onto campus that I could see myself here.Â
GS: When did you start gymnastics and why did you fall in love with the sport?
LP: I started gymnastics when I was four years old. I was a very crazy child and I needed a place to let all of my energy out. Right when I finished my first practice, I realized how much I loved the thrill of learning new skills and being around a bunch of other girls who loved the sport as much as I did. It was a great place to go knowing that I would leave feeling accomplished with myself as I began to progress more and more everyday.Â
GS: How have the upperclassmen welcomed you to be part of the team?
LP: The upperclassmen have done such an amazing job welcoming me and my other freshman teammates to the team. A lot of the girls have asked how we were doing with adjusting here, and they have made sure that we all know they are here for us if we ever have any questions or concerns.
GS: What has been your proudest gymnastics moment so far?
LP: My proudest moment of my gymnastics career was making elite and competing at the US Classics. I was also very proud of myself when I won beam at nationals.Â
GS: What was it like to compete at JO Nationals and what did you learn from that experience?
LP: It was very cool competing at JO Nationals. I learned many things about myself while being there, and I gained a lot of confidence knowing I was among all of the best level 10s in the country. I loved the atmosphere of the competition because it was a lot more fun compared to the serious meets I usually competed at. It was also very fun to compete with other girls from your region and build bonds with them that you can hold on to moving forwards in life. A lot of the girls that were in my group I still communicate with today going into college.Â
GS: What was it like to train and become friends with Aly Raisman at Brestyan's?
LP: It was very inspiring to train with Aly Raisman. She always worked so hard in the gym, and by watching her work her absolute hardest no matter what the circumstance was put such motivation in me to follow in her footsteps. Watching all of her hard work pay off in her competitions showed me that by giving my all and trusting the process of gymnastics as a whole, can definitely lead me to amazing places in my future. Not only did I look up to her in that sense, but she was also a great friend and teammate to have. She was serious when she had to be, but at the same time she always knew how to be funny and put a smile on our faces when we all needed it the most. She helped me overcome many bumps in the road by giving me encouraging long talks both during practice and after practice over the phone. She always went the extra mile for people and she was a great role model to me of how to be a great teammate to others. She was an amazing influence for me to have throughout my time at Brestyan's.Â
GS: What is your favorite event to compete on and why?
LP: My favorite event to compete is beam. It all starts with practice, and in practice I always feel very confident performing my skills knowing I am able to hit them. I love the feeling of doing hard skills and then coming down onto the beam and sticking them. So, competing beam is my favorite because it is the one event that I can always see my hard work paying off on. All of the repetitions that I took in practice show when I am competing, and I love that. It makes all of the practice worth it after all.Â
Quick Hits:
Favorite music genre: Rap and Country
Last TV show you binge watched: The Vampire Diaries
Favorite season: SummerÂ
Go to ice cream flavor: Chocolate Peanut Butter
Celebrity Crush: Justin BieberÂ
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