It’s Tuesday!! That means it is 20 Questions Tuesday!! We are continuing our 2020 Graduate coverage with Bartlett Gymnastics Amber Mueller! Amber has been a Level 10 for 4 years representing Bartlett Gymnastics in Barlett Illinois. In 2018 Amber qualified as an alternate to the 2018 JO National 
Championships in Cincinnati, Ohio. Amber recently graduated from Wheaton Warrenville South High School and will be continuing her academic & athletics in the fall at Central Michigan University! Let’s get to know Amber a little better as she gets back into the gym and begins to prepare for the next chapter of her gymnastics in Maroon & Gold!
How did you get into gymnastics? How old were you? I started gymnastics when I was three. My mom was a coach at the Carol Stream Park district and always took me to classes with her.
What is your favorite event? Why? My favorite event is definitely the floor because I love feeling that sense of power and the feeling of landing a new skill for the first time.
Favorite Skill to train/compete? Why? My favorite skill to train is a full in on floor. I started working them pretty recently and I would love to get them consistent enough to compete next year!
Dream Skill? My dream skill would probably be a double layout on floor or an onodi on beam.
What is your favorite part of gymnastics? Picking just one aspect is nearly impossible. From teaching me so many life lessons to giving me some of my best friends, I love everything about this sport and wouldn’t want to do anything else. Even though there were definitely some rough times, gymnastics has made me a better person and taught me lessons of hard work, determination and perseverance that I will always carry with me.
What college do you plan on attending? Why? I will be attending 
Central Michigan University next year to study Pre-Occupational Therapy and do gymnastics. I chose CMU because I loved the supportive team atmosphere and all of the coaches. It seemed like the perfect fit for me and I am super excited to spend the next four years there!
What is your favorite meet to compete at? Why? I always loved competing at Circle of Stars because it is pretty much the only travel meet that our gym participates in. It is the best bonding time with teammates and many memories were made there.
Biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far? My biggest accomplishment so far has been committing to CMU to do gymnastics. I have always wanted to do college gymnastics and had watched my teammates grow up and compete in college. Being able to follow in their footsteps and accomplish this goal has been a dream of mine.
What is your favorite Region 5 Insider Feature or Series? My favorite region 5 Insider series is probably the coaches wired series. I love hearing what practice is like in other gyms and hearing different points of views from coaches across the region.
3 Things you could not live without? I couldn’t live without my phone, my
family, and my friends
If you could have 1 superpower what would it be? I would want the ability of flight, it would make catching the bar a LOT easier and boost my tumbling up quite a bit.
Discuss not being able to finish your senior season like you had hoped. Having the season cut short definitely hit hard. I was so excited to finish my JO career with my teammates and end on a high note. I was hoping to be able to compete a few new skills and state and regionals, so having that opportunity taken away was also very upsetting. I also wanted to qualify for nationals my senior year so having that last opportunity taken away was upsetting.
What are you doing to keep up your training during Corona Quarantine? Our gym has been doing a lot of zoom calls for conditioning to keep up our strength. I have also been going on runs or hikes with friends and family to get outside and stay active.
What do you miss most about gymnastics during this time? I miss being able to train with my friends and coaches that I have been with for years. Since I am a senior, I do not have a lot of time left to train with them and I want to be able to take it all in before I leave.
What is the first thing you want to do once you can get back to gym & training? My teammate and I who are both graduating this year have been planning a senior prank-mus, so we are definitely starting that once we can get back in the gym.
What will you miss most about being part of Region 5? I am going to 
miss the super supportive atmosphere that Region 5 has. I love being able to go to meets and cheer on other teams from the region and support them through competitions.
Most embarrassing meet moment or gymnastics moment? One year at the Wisconsin Dells Classic, I won beam and tripped walking up to the podium. (ironic)
Do you have a nickname? If so what Is the story behind it? A lot of people call me Ber. When my sister was younger she could not say my whole name so she would call me Ber and I guess it just kind of stuck.
Which athletes (any sport) do you respect the most and why? I respect figure skaters a lot because there is no way I would ever be able to do what they do. Being able to bend like that amazes me and a lot of hardwork and determination goes into their sport for sure.
Something you learned from Gymnastics that you will take with you? It sounds pretty cliche, but gymnastics has taught me to never give up and to just keep pushing. Gymnastics knocks you down quite a bit, but the ability to just keep working will stick with me forever.
Most Memorable Gymnastics or Nationals Moment? My most memorable moment was winning vault at regionals in level 8.
What is the most valuable piece of advice or wisdom your coach has
given you? Our coach has had us listen to a lot of wisdom from philosophers like Marcus Aurelius and Seneca, so I have learned a lot of lessons from that. But, we also have some running jokes with our coach about it such as “In the words of Seneca, cool it bucko!” That phrase comes up a lot at the gym.
How do you want to be remembered, but us here in Region 5 as well as your home club & teammates? I want to be remembered as a good role model for the younger girls in gymnastics. I think over the years I have tried to show that you can still work hard and be successful while having fun, making jokes and busting out sick dance moves.
What is something special your friends, family, school, coaches or teammates, have done for you during this quarantine to make missing out on those special senior moments a little easier to handle. My friends and family have just been super supportive and have been there for me if I ever need to get anything off my chest.
Bonus Question: Tell me something interesting about yourself…. I LOVE iced tea
