Our next 20 Questions athlete is one of my absolutely favorites to watch, she flies under the radar a bit, but this year she made a huge statement and qualified to her 1st JO National Championships. Sarah Moraw of Champion USA in Holland, Michigan is a mixture of flexibility, strength, power and grace. To watch her compete is like watching an acrobat flawlessly float through the air with the greatest of ease, she definitely makes everything she does look effortless and flawless. Sarah, who excels on beam & floor, really does not have a weakness in the gym, she shows high difficulty on every event. In 2017 she was on the bubble of making the JO National Team placing as a 2nd alternate in a strong Junior A group. This year at regionals was a lot different, it was her breakout year placing 2nd in the all-around, 1st on the balance beam, 2nd on the floor & 3rd on vault with a strong Yurchenko Full qualifying to her 1st JO National Championships. Sarah took home her first JO Nationals Medal placing 4th on the vault with a 9.600. I definitely see big things for this young athlete in the future. Lets get to know Sarah a little bit better as she continues her summer training in preparation for the upcoming season and another run at the JO National Championships.
How did you get into gymnastics? How old were you? I was about 4 years old when my mom signed me up for a Mommy and Me class.
What is your favorite event? My favorite event is either beam or floor.
Favorite Skill to train/compete? I always love when it is time to start training upgrades during the summer. I don’t think I have one favorite but right now, on floor I like to train either double pikes or double arabians.
Dream Skill? One skill I think would be fun to learn is a double twisting double back on floor.
What is your favorite part of gymnastics? My favorite part of gymnastics is learning new and thrilling skills and bonding with my teammates.
What college do you plan on attending? I do not know what college I will be attending. I hope to find one that will be a good fit for me as a student, gymnast and person in general.
What is your favorite meet to compete at? Why? My favorite meet to compete at is my home meet because the energy is always high and exciting and a lot of my family and friends come and support me.
Biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far? My biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far is placing second at regionals and qualifying to JO Nationals.
Who do you most admire in the sport of gymnastics? I admire my older teammates at my gym because they have taught me so much like to always have fun, believe in myself and be supportive of others. They have been good role models for me to look up to and are always good about including me.
What is your favorite Region 5 Insider Feature or Series? My favorite Region 5 Insider Feature is the Best Fails.
What is your go to playlist or song before meets? I don’t have a specific song that I listen to every time, but I like to listen to “September” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”.
3 Things you could not live without? I could not live without my family (including my dog), friends and fuzzy blankets!
If you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why? If I could be any animal, I would probably be a dolphin because I love to swim and flip in the water.
5 Most Important or Must have Items in your gym bag? The 5 most important things in my gym bag would be a leotard, grips, tiger paws, hair ties and water.
Do you have any pre-meet rituals or superstitions? The night before a meet, I like to have some sort of pasta as a pre-meet ritual.
What do you like to do outside of Gymnastics? Outside of gymnastics, I love to spend time with my family, especially at the lake, hang out with friends at school and play lacrosse.
Most embarrassing meet moment or gymnastics moment? My most embarrassing gymnastics moment was when I landed a dismount off bars and turned towards the left and saluted and to find that the judges weren’t there; they were on the other side.
If you weren’t a gymnast, what sport would you do or try? If I wasn’t a gymnast, I would continue to play volleyball and lacrosse and maybe try golf.
Which athletes (any sport) do you respect the most and why? I respect any athletes that are willing to sacrifice and try their best in the sport that they love.
What is the most valuable piece of advice or wisdom your coach has given you? The most valuable piece of advice my coach has given me is to not be too hard on myself because I am capable of way more than I think I am.
Bonus Question: Tell me something interesting about yourself….Something interesting about me is that I love to tell jokes at practice and I like to snow and water ski.
Check out Sarah’s JO Nationals Gallery Here
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