Jennifer Hoffer – Sports Editor
Chelcie Rosborough is in her third year of doing gymnastics here at Southern. She said the most exciting part about this season has been the team camaraderie.
“This season the thing I really enjoyed seeing is how close the team is,” Rosborough said. “When we travel we all just have a great time as a whole team.”
Despite the team placing second and third in most of their meets this season, Rosborough said there is still aspects and skills the team can work on.
“I think one of the biggest things we can improve on as a team is consistency,” Rosborough said. “We all know that we could have qualified to Nationals as a team this year because of how talented we are as a team. We just need to learn to have great routines every meet so that we can have big scores.”
Rosborough will be competing in her final season next year, and said she still has some accomplishments she wants to achieve.
“I think one thing that I should improve on is enjoying every moment that I am out there competing,” Rosborough said. “Because this time next year my gymnastics career will be coming to an end.”
For Rosborough, it will be a long career coming to an end when her final season rolls around next season. She has been doing gymnastics since she was four years old.
Rosborough said the one thing that she enjoys most about gymnastics and the one thing that keeps pushing her everyday is the challenge she experiences from it.
“When I overcome a challenge I am faced with it is the greatest feeling,” Rosborough said.
During high school, Rosborough said she kind of lost her love for gymnastics because it had its ups and downs.
“My sophomore year was my best year,” Rosborough said. “I ended up winning State Championships and Regional Championships and I came in fourth all around at Eastern Nationals, which was extremely exciting for me. Then junior and senior year I fought through injuries and missed competing for those two years.”
So through injury and frustration, Rosborough said that high school was tough to do gymnastics.
But she said she re-found her love for gymnastics when she came to Southern.
“As a freshman I just knew I had found the best fit for me,” Rosborough said. “I was extremely grateful to compete and tried not to take it for granted.”
One of the things, Rosborough said she is most grateful for being able to play for Southern is the atmosphere when competing at home meets.
“Throughout the years I’ve been here more and more people come out to support us at home meets,” Rosborough said. “A lot of the other student athletes come with their bodies painted cheering us on. It’s great to have the recognition of other students around campus.”
Since she has been here, Rosborough said that the team has improved greatly over the years. “Every year the team gets more and more talented,” Rosborough said. “This year ten girls qualified to USAG Collegiate Nationals, which is the most that has qualified since I’ve been here. It’s exciting to see where we have come from in the three years that I have been on the team.”
As far as Rosborough’s individual improvements go, she said she has moved her skills from the beam to competing on the floor at USAG Collegiate Nationals.
“As a freshman I only competed beam,” Rosborough said. “As a sophomore I competed beam and floor and qualified to USAG Collegiate nationals on floor. And as a Junior I competed beam, floor, and vault and qualified to USAG Collegiate Nationals on floor again.”
Despite her accomplishments this year, team wise and individually wise, she has had a challenging career.
“I think the most challenging thing is my college career was trying to complete all the classes I need to in order to graduate,” Rosborough said. “But also trying to fit in a four-hour practice around my classes. Sometimes my schedule gets a little hectic but I know it will all be worth it.”
Another challenge Rosborough had to face was balancing both gymnastics and school work. But she said she has been balancing it her whole life so to her right now, she said, it’s natural for her.
“But I think the most important thing I keep in mind is time management,” Rosborough said.
But aside from all the challenges, Rosborough said that what keeps her going is seeing her parents at every meet cheering her on not matter how good or bad her meet is.
“That’s really the most rewarding thing,” Rosborough said. “I love making them proud not only in gymnastics but academically as well. They have done so much for me throughout my life and I want to show them that everything they have done was worth it. I cannot thank them enough for making me to who I am today.”
Although her college career will be coming to an end in a year, Rosborough said that one meet that she will always remember is the ECAC’s last year.
“We broke the team record that year,” Rosborough said. “Although we did not win the meet we were still excited as if we did win because we accomplished a goal that we had set for ourselves at the last meet of the season.”
