Junior Elite Lillian Lippeatt of Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy, may be small but she is certainly mighty! Lillian, who decided to concentrate on elite gymnastics last year, has had a pretty successful gymnastics career so far qualifying to the JO National Championships in 2016, the Nastia Liukin Cup and the P&G Championships in 2017 and being named to the 2017 Region 5 Elite Ambassador team that recently traveled to Trinidad & Tobago. Lillian Lippeatt is a talent young athlete who is just getting started on her journey in the world of elite gymnastics, I cannot wait to see what the future holds for her and her talents. Let’s get to know Lillian a little better as she prepares for the elite season.

How did you get into gymnastics? How old were you?  When I was 2.5, my mom put me in gymnastics because I used to climb on the counters and tables.

What is your favorite event? My favorite event depends on the day, but most of the time it is beam.

Favorite Skill to train/compete? I love to train my two foot layout on beam, and I’m so excited to compete it this year for the first time.

Dream Skill? My dream skill is a double double on floor, I think it is so cool and has such a wow factor.

What is your favorite part of gymnastics? I love the adrenaline rush and thrill of showing off your skills in a meet, the feeling of when you nail a routine that you worked so hard on.

What college do you plan on attending? I’m not sure yet where I want to go to college, but it’s going to be somewhere with great gymnastics and opportunities in academics.

What is your favorite meet to compete at? Why? I loved competing at P&G Championships because of how many people were there watching as well as all the amazing girls I shared it with.

Biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far? Qualifying to the 2017 P&G Championships

Who do you most admire in the sport of gymnastics?  I admire Amelia Hundley the most in gymnastics, because training next to her, I was able to see her work so hard and persevere through any injury or rough patch with the brightest smile on her face.

What is your favorite Region 5 Insider Feature or Series? My favorite Region 5 Insider series is actually one of the most recent ones, on the 25 days of sticks for the 25 days of Christmas. I love to see the reaction on their faces when they stick it cold.

What is your go to playlist or song before meets? I listen to whatever is on the radio before meets, if its something that pumps me up and gets me excited for the day, I love to listen to it!

3 Things you could not live without? I could not live without my gloves because my hands are always so cold, Graeter’s ice cream (salted caramel chip), and superhero movies/TV shows.

If you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why? I would be a lion, because I could be the King (technically Queen) of the jungle, and explore the wilderness.

5 Most Important or Must have Items in your gym bag? The 5 most important items in my gym bag are grips, tape, joshua tree, tiger paws, and deodorant.

Do you have any pre-meet rituals or superstitions? I aways come a little early to visualize my routines on each event, and pray with my mom.

What do you like to do outside of Gymnastics? Bake, craft, and lay by the pool.

Most embarrassing meet moment or gymnastics moment? At my level 5 mock meet at our gym, I took my warm up off and had my leo on backwards, and nobody realized until right before we were ready to warm up.

If you weren’t a gymnast, what sport would you do or try? I would try to be a track and field athlete, mainly try sprinting and the team relays.

Which athletes (any sport) do you respect the most and why? I respect the triathletes because they prepare for three long, hard events all at the same time, which takes valuable time and effort.

What is the most valuable piece of advice or wisdom your coach has given you? Everything you do in life is a choice, and your thoughts determine your actions. If you make a choice to think positive thoughts, you will get positive results, which produces positive success.

Bonus Question:   Tell me something interesting about yourself…. I love to refinish furniture, and I absolutely hate everything about peanut butter.