It’s Tuesday!! That means it’s 20 Questions Tuesday! Today we are recognizing Samantha Macasu of Legacy Elite in Illinois. Sam had a big year in 2019 qualifying to her first JO National Championships and Region 5 All-Star Team. Sam started out 2020 qualifying to her first Nastia Liukin Cup after that competition her road to Nationals came to a screeching halt with the cancellation of the remainder of the season. 2020 would of continued to be a great year  for Sam, who was primed and looking at making her 2nd JO Nationals Dream Team.  I absolutely LOVE watching Samantha on the Balance Beam, her favorite event, because she works the Beam with tremendous confidence all of her movements are sharp and crisp all the way through her finger tips! That same confident crisp movement transfers perfectly over to the Floor Exercise where Sam sure knows how to perform! Watching her on Floor just puts a smile on your face! Her routine is so fun, bubbly and bouncy you can definitely tell she is absolutely enjoying what she is doing while not only performing to the judges and crowd, but throwing some hard tumbling passes as well. 

Samantha is a young Level 10, which means she has many more years with us here in Region 5. I am so excited to watch this talented athlete continue to represent Region 5 on the National stage, she definitely will continue to be “one to watch” from Illinois in the next few years. As clubs around the Region are getting back into the swing of things as gyms start to re-open, let’s get to know Samantha Macasu a little better as she prepares for the 2020-2021 competitive season. 

How did you get into gymnastics? How old were you?  I got into gymnastics because of my older sister doing gymnastics when I was two.

What is your favorite event? Why? My favorite event is beam because I feel confident in that event the most out of the four.

Favorite Skill to train/compete? Why? I like competing my yurchenko full on vault because I love the cheering when you land the vault, and I like practicing my flip-flop layout on beam because it feels really fun when I’m in the air.

Dream Skill? My dream skills are a Double Arabian and Double Layout on floor. On bars, my dream skill that I want to get is a connection with a blind-full to a full-out dismount.

What is your favorite part of gymnastics? My favorite part of gymnastics is the gym’s atmosphere with my teammates and setting a goal and then accomplishing it.

What college do you plan on attending? I’m undecided at the moment.

What is your favorite meet to compete at? Why? My favorite meet to compete at is JO Nationals because it’s fun competing for Region 5 and bonding with the other gymnasts in the Dream Team. The other meets that are my favorites are the Legacy Elite Classic because of our fun, big, cheering crowd,  and the Nastia Liukin Cup because it’s a fun experience competing with a giant crowd.

Biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far? My biggest accomplishment in my gymnastics career is qualifying to the Nastia Liukin Cup.

What is your favorite Region 5 Insider Feature or Series? My favorite Region 5 series is the All Access series.

What kinds of things really make you laugh? My teammates really make me laugh the most.

3 Things you could not live without? I could not live without my friends, family, and my house.

If you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why? If I could be any animal I would be a monkey because monkeys are playful and energetic

Thoughts on the 2019-2020 Season ending like it did? I feel sad that the 2019-2020 season ended as like it did because everyone was excited for the end of the season meets, like state, regionals, and nationals.

What are you doing to keep up your training during Corona Quarantine? During Corona Quarantine, our team was doing Zoom gym workouts together. but we are now back to practice in the gym. 

What do you miss most about gymnastics during this time? I miss seeing and talking to my teammates and I also miss seeing my coaches everyday.

What is the first thing you want to do once you can get back to gym & training? The first thing that I want to do when I get back to the gym and training is work harder in the gym to get better at my skills.

Most embarrassing meet moment or gymnastics moment? At my first meet in level 4, I fell off of the beam, and fell again while getting back onto the beam

Do you have a nickname? If so what Is the story behind it? One of my nicknames is Macasu, because of my last name, and most people also call me Sammy.

Which athletes (any sport) do you respect the most and why? An athlete that I respect the most is Kyla Ross, because of her hard work and dedication to the sport to get her where she is now.

Something you learned from Gymnastics that you will take with you? Something that I learned from gymnastics is to always have a positive attitude and to never give up.

Most Memorable Gymnastics or Nationals Moment? One of the most memorable moments for me was going to nationals with my team and having fun with the team.

What is the most valuable piece of advice or wisdom your coach has given you? A piece of advice that my coach gave me is to work hard and focus on my goals.

Bonus Question:   Tell me something interesting about yourself…. Something interesting about myself is that I love to paint and draw in my free time, outside of gymnastics.

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Check out Sam’s Memorable Moments Gallery Below