By Kassidy Tsikitas | Staff Writer
President of the Baylor Gymnastics Club Ali Harvey finished her final season at nationals by placing first on the floor event with just .05 shy of the perfect score of 10.
Starting her gymnastics career by the age of eight, Harvey said she endured intense practices, which resulted in her not being able to have what she called a “normal” childhood. She said there’s a structured environment that’s instilled from a young age.
She also said that from her experience, gymnastics has many pros and cons.
“In my experience from USAG [USA Gymnastics], it wasn’t necessarily a great world,” Harvey said. “It had a lot of not-great people in it, but I still liked it. You never know what was wrong until you’re out of it. It taught me a lot of things from a young age.”
Harvey said she suffered several injuries while competing, but none were threatening to her career. She said she was thankful to only sustain minor injuries in order to compete for most of her life.
The switch between the USAG world to college was seamless to some members of the Baylor Gymnastics Club. Brookings, S.D., sophomore Isabella Portz said Harvey helped to make the transition easier.
“It was super interesting having a transition of the team that I’ve been with for 10 years,” Portz said. “[With Ali as president] I feel like I really got to know my teammates here a lot faster than I thought [I would.] To see them not only in the gym but also on campus with a smiling face was super encouraging.”
Dallas sophomore Tristan Brown said Harvey helps to keep the members well-rounded off and on the mat.
“She runs all of the basic stuff like group chats, practices and all team events,” Brown said. “Last year, she definitely helped me get back into competing and made gymnastics fun when she became president.”
The members of Baylor Gymnastics said Harvey has led the squad with positivity over the past year and that it won’t be the same without her. Harvey made it a point to create tight bonds with everyone and made sure they all got to know each other through various events.
Harvey said her goal for her teammates after graduation is to have them stay close and continue to grow as gymnastics to reach their huge potential.
“I guess we’re all a little rusty,” Harvey said. “And we’re just kind of getting back into it. Just because we love the sport. I just want to see them all kind of continue moving forward.”
Harvey was able to lead her team to nationals twice as president. In the 2022-23 season, Baylor Gymnastics placed fifth in the nation at nationals in Memphis, Tenn., making it a strong finale for Harvey’s final season.
