Our next 20 Questions athlete is Adriana Bustelo from Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy in Ohio. Adriana, who has started her gymnastics career in Virginia, has found a home with CGA since moving with her family to Ohio in 2013. Adriana, who has competed in 2 JO Nationals, is a beautiful gymnast to watch overall the gym with her long flowing lines, perfect extension and exquisite leaps and jumps. Watching Adriana perform is like watching poetry in motion. Adriana qualified to her 2nd JO Nationals in 2018 after missing out on the chance
due to injury in 2017, however her road to the 2018 JO Nationals was not an easy one. Due to a nagging wrist injury that just did not seem to be healing Adriana was forced to make the tough decision to undergo wrist surgery in November 2017. Once returning to training Adriana was definitely limited in what she was able to do and found herself unable to compete for most of the season. The Kalahari Lua in Leos, held the weekend before state meet, was her first competition competing all 4 events since JO Nationals in 2017. Adriana certainly proved that she was a fighter who was not going to back down from her goals, she went on to have strong finishes at both the Ohio State Meet, finishing 3rd All-Around, and Region 5 Championships finishing 7th in the All-Around and earning herself a spot on the Region 5 Dream Team. Lets get to know this incredible athlete a little better as she heads into the summer season and prepares for a chance to qualify for her 3rd JO National Championships in 2019.
How did you get into gymnastics? How old were you? I was put into gymnastics classes, when I was about 3 years old, because I was a child that could never stay still. I would jump from sofa to sofa, swing from a chandelier, and do a bunch of crazy things (and yes, I did swing from a chandelier) I absolutely loved the classes, so I stayed in the sport and I have currently been in the sport for 12 years.
What is your favorite event? Beam is my favorite event because I think its pretty cool that we can basically use a four inch piece of wood as a floor and do unimaginable things on it.
What is your favorite skill to train/compete? My favorite skill to train is Double Arabians off the floor.
What is your dream skill? My dream skill is Full twisting double layout off bars.
What is your favorite part of gymnastics? My favorite part of gymnastics is all of it because we defy gravity doing these crazy things and it is the closest to flying, which I have always wanted to be able to do.
What college do you plan on attending? I am not quite sure where I will be headed for college.
What is your favorite meet to compete at? J.O. Nationals has got to be my favorite meet because the gymnasts get all of the attention and we get pampered as they do our hair and makeup and we are being cheered on by coaches and athletes that I have competed against before. It just feels like a huge family of gymnasts.
What is your biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far? My biggest accomplishment has been making it to J.O. nationals this year because I had a wrist surgery back in November 2017 and I was told I was most likely not going to b
e able to compete this season but my determination to get back into the sport was so strong that I was able to come back stronger than ever.
Who do you most admire in the sport of gymnastics? I admire Amelia Hundley so much because she would always have such a positive attitude back in the gym, even if she was having the worst day of her life. Her determination to get better was so strong that there was no one that could stop here from progressing and becoming stronger every day.
What is your favorite Region 5 Insider Feature or Series? My favorite Region 5 Series is the “OMG Bloopers” because I can relate to so many of those fails that I find it super funny.
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What is your go to playlist or song before meets? I have a playlist on my phone that I labeled “I Got This” and it has songs like “Ten feet Tall”, “Hall of Fame”, “On Top of the World”, “Overcomer”, “Unstoppable”, and many other pump up songs.
3 Things you could not live without? Three things I cannot live without are my phone, food, and my family.
If you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why? If I were an animal, I would be a giraffe because I have really long legs
5 Most important or Must have items in your gym bag? Five super important things in my gym bag are my grips, tiger paws, deodorant, hair bru
sh, and an extra leo.
Do you have any pre-meet rituals or superstitions? Yes, I am a very superstitious person. I have to use the Stress Relief Bath Fizzy from Bath and Body Works before every meet
What do you like to do outside of Gymnastics? I love to bake. I love hanging out with my friends and family. I listen to music or find some sort of craft to do.
Most embarrassing meet moment or gymnastics moment? I was being spotted by Whitney on tkatchevs in the trench bar and I had a boot on at the time. Since my leg was being weighed down by the boot it fell faster than it should of so I ended up kicking Whitney right in the head
If you weren’t a gymnast, what sport would you do or try? I would try cross country because I have such long legs. Everyone says I would be good at diving since I have pretty good air awareness, but I am pretty terrified of just jumping off the diving board, so I don’t think I would be very good at that.
Which athletes (any sport) do you respect the most and why? I admire Monica Puig, Olympic Tennis Player for Puerto Rico, because, first of all, she is Puerto Rican, just like me, and second off all, Puerto Rico had never gotten a gold medal at the Olympic Games until Monica Puig achieved it at Rio. She made her unthinkable dream come true and she kept pushing to make sure she would achieve what she had come for.
What is the most valuable piece of advice or wisdom your coach has given you? “Things happen for a Reason” I had broken my foot in the summer of 2016 and after I was back on my feet, I broke my big toe. I was in my growing stage and my bones were super fragile. Whitney and Rachael told me “Things happen for a reason.” Though I did have to sit out for most of the 2016-2017 season. I came back stronger than ever for 2018 season and even managed to place 8thon Floor at Nationals
Bonus Question: Tell me something interesting about yourself……I speak fluent Spanish because both my parents are from Puerto Rico and I am very proud to be Puerto Rican
