We are continuing our coverage of the 2019 Eastern National Champions with the 2019 Senior 1 Balance Beam Champion, Stephanie Lebster of Champion USA. Not only did Stephanie become the National Balance Beam Champion she also finished 2nd in the All-Around. What I love the most about Stephanie is her love of the sport, on the competition floor she always has a huge smile on her face, truly enjoying what she is doing and expressing joy in every aspect. I have personally worked with Stephanie and she is the sweetest kid ever, she also can do some very BIG gymnastics. I am very excited to see what this season brings for Stephanie in her first level 10 season. Champion USA is known for producing some standout kids and Stephanie is definitely next in line of the Champion USA “ones to watch”. Let’s get to know Stephanie as she starts her 2020 season and journey towards the JO National Championships.
How did you get into Gymnastics? How old were you? I got into gymnastics when
I was four years old. My sister had been doing gymnastics for about a year before me, so she taught me a few skills and I thought it was really fun so I started taking classes.
What is your favorite event? My favorite event is floor.
What is your favorite skill to train/compete? My favorite skill to train is a tkachev.
What is your dream skill? My dream skill is a full-in on floor.
What is your favorite part of Gymnastics? My favorite part of gymnastics is getting a new skill, or even just making a correction that has taken me a long time, because I always feel very accomplished afterwards.
What is your favorite meet to compete at? why? My favorite meet I’ve competed at was Eastern Nationals, because I got to meet a lot of new people and it was really fun competing with the “Dream Team” and doing our Region 5 cheers the whole time!
What is your biggest accomplishment in Gymnastics so far? My biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far has been being Eastern National Beam Champion, and AA runner-up, and also placing on the other three events at Easterns.
Who do you admire the most in the sport of Gymnastics? The gymnast I most admire is Katelyn Ohashi because she has amazing artistry, and is super solid, but she also has a lot of fun while competing.
What is your favorite Region 5 Feature or Series? My favorite Region 5 Insider Feature or Series are the Yahtzee Awards because I love watching all of the videos.
What is your go-to song or playlist before meets? My go to songs before meets are Lose Yourself by Eminem and Survivor by Destiny’s Child.
What are 3 things you cannot live without? Three things I could not live without are watermelon, dogs, and sweatpants.
If you could be any animal what animal would you be and why? If I could be any animal it would be a bird because I could travel anywhere I want in the world.
What are the 5 most important or must have items in your gym bag? My 5 most important items to have in my gym bag are grips, tiger paws, scrunchie, a snack and my water bottle.
Do you have any pre-meet rituals or superstitions? My pre-meet rituals are listening to my “pump up” playlist and bringing my good luck charms(little things that are from meets I did well at).
What do you like to do outside of Gymnastics? Outside of gymnastics I like to hang out with friends, bike and paddle board (in the summer), and spend time with my sisters.
What is your most embarrassing meet or Gymnastics moment? My most 
embarrassing moment in gymnastics would probably be getting a 6.0 on vault last year when I missed the entire springboard, and then the table in a yurchenko…twice in a row.
If you were not a Gymnast, what sport would you try or play? If I wasn’t a gymnast I would play tennis and soccer.
How does it feel to be the 2019 Eastern National Balance Beam Champion? It feels really great to be a Level 9 Eastern National Beam Champion, and I feel very accomplished and proud because it was my goal going into the meet.
What is your most memorable Nationals Moment? My most memorable moment from Eastern Nationals is probably all of the crazy cheers Brett from Twistars lead us in to hype us up! My most memorable moment from all of gymnastics was Tulip City(our home meet) last year because a ton of my friends and family came to support me, and it was really fun getting to show them what I do.
What is the most value piece of advice or words of wisdom you have received from your coaches? The most valuable piece of advice my coach has given me is to aim higher than the minimum requirements, because that can be applied to school, gymnastics, and almost anything else in life.
Bonus Question: Tell me something interesting about yourself…… Something interesting about myself is that I love to do hair.
