Our next athlete is 2x JO National Qualifier Hannah Oliveros of IGI. Hannah, who competed in the Junior E age group, was part of the 2018 National Champion Team. As an individual Hannah finished 5th in the All-Around as well as 3rd on the Bars and 2nd on the Balance Beam. Hannah, and her teammate Makenzie will were both part of the Championships Team, will be featured in our JO Nationals Coaches Wired coming up here soon with their IGI Coach Kat. Hannah, who will be heading to The Ohio State when she graduated High School (2024), is a beautiful athlete to watch, who has high difficulty all over the gym as well as fantastic lines and a huge personality! Hannah was all smiles at the JO Nationals Championships and it was extremely fun to be part of the Region 5 Junior E Age Group on the floor. Certainly a talented group of young ladies, who will be the ones to watch for years to come. Lets get to know Hannah a bit better as she heads into the summer training season and prepares for another year of Level 10 Gymnastics and the road to another National Championship.

How did you get into gymnastics? How old were you? When I was 5, a coach saw me do a pull over at an open gym and asked if I was on team. When I said no, she suggested I try it out 🙂

What is your favorite event? It’s a tie between floor and beam.

Favorite Skill to train/compete?I like to train front aerials connected to different jumps on beam, and my favorite skill to compete is a yurchenko full.

Dream Skill?Ithink it’d be really cool to have a double lay on floor.

What is your favorite part of gymnastics? Cheering really loudly across the gym for my teammates is my favorite!

What college do you plan on attending? The Ohio State University

What is your favorite meet to compete at? Why? I LOVE competing at Chicago Style – it’s our home meet, it’s at the Pier, and it’s super fun to help out too.

Biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far? Winning vault, beam, and all-around at this year’s state was really big for me – especially vault. I remember at level 4 state, the gymnast before me got a 10.0 on vault… my coach told me to do the same thing… I got an 8.4. Let’s just say vault has never really been my strongest event.

Who do you most admire in the sport of gymnastics? Can I pick two people? They are both my teammates: Torie Stotz and Makie Sedlacek.

What is your favorite Region 5 Insider Feature or Series?The year’s “Best of…” series

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What is your go to playlist or song before meets? I listen to anything upbeat.

Family, friends, and food (especially ice cream)!

If you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why?I would totally be a giant panda because they eat for up to 14 hours a day & when they’re not eating, they’re napping! Isn’t that great?! I wish I was a giant panda.

5 Most Important or Must have Items in your gym bag? Mygrips, tiger paws, tape, pre wrap, and tigger keychain that my friend gave me.

Do you have any pre-meet rituals or superstitions? Makie and I watch a movie and then listen to the Greatest Showman while we get ready.

What do you like to do outside of Gymnastics? I like going to the beach, visiting my family in Canada, painting, and hanging out with my friends & family.

Most embarrassing meet moment or gymnastics moment? At Nationals last year, I forgot my floor routine after my first pass (good thing it wasn’t too noticeable though).

If you weren’t a gymnast, what sport would you do or try? I’ve always wanted to do volleyball.

Which athletes (any sport) do you respect the most and why? Paralympic athletes – it is so inspiring to watch these athletes because they don’t let obstacles get in the way of what they love to do.

Most Memorable Gymnastics or JO Nationals Moment? Most memorable JO Nationals moment was hearing my region 5 teammates cheering for me at the top of their lungs before my last pass on floor – it was so much fun!

What is the most valuable piece of advice or wisdom your coach has given you? “You have fought for this moment every day; you have fought to be here and you deserve to be here. Fight for what you want! God called us to be strong and courageous. Don’t give up, don’t give in. Let’s go to war.”

Bonus Question:   Tell me something interesting about yourself….

My right eyelashes are longer than my left… this was the bonus side effect of one of the eye drops that I needed after a football hit me straight in the eye, which put me in the ER and on bed rest for a week until the blood in my eye was reabsorbed. Fun stuff.