Interview with Stella Savvidou UCLA

1. What age did you start gymnastics?

4/5

2. How did you start in gymnastics?

My friend had a gymnastics bus party.

3. How did you deal with mental blocks?

Honestly, I didn’t handle them in a healthy way. My coaches (back in the day) didn’t believe in mental blocks so I would just have to push through until I somewhat made the skill and kept going until it became normal again.

4. Who was your role model/someone you looked uo to in the sport?

Catalina Ponor and my coaches later in my career

5. What was your hardest struggle during your time as a gymnast?

Injuries and bullying as a young gymnast

6. How do you handle nerves when you are competing?

I had nerves until I started Once I started my routine, everything went quiet and everything felt normal.

7. What was your biggest accomplishment in gymnastics?

Competing in countless countries and being a Division 1 gymnast.

8. What did you do after you were done competing? did you stay involved or did you do something totally different?

I always knew that I would try for medical school, so I moved straight to that but I am always watching meets and rooting for the girls.

9. What would people need to know if you are starting the sport for the first time?

To be patient, and love it. If for one second you loose your love, it’s not worth it anymore. I know a lot of girls that were forced by parents or coaches to keep going and they were miserable.

10. What is your favorite meet?

NCAA

11. How did you handle pressure form peers/coaches/fans?

I tried not thinking about that. The only pressure that really did get to me was from myself. I just wanted to do better each time.

12. How do you overcome setbacks and challenges?

I trusted my body and my training and went back into the gym like nothing happened and it was just another normal day

13. Did college gymnastics ever cross your mind as something you wanted to do?

No. Not at all 😂 In the UK and Australia, college is not really a thing, especially for elites. But once I competed in the Lady Luck Classic, I fell in love with the idea.

14. Least favorite event and favorite event? And Why?

Least favourite to compete was beam but I loved training it. Most favourite was floor because you can express yourself and just have some fun and smile

15. Hardest and easiest gymnastics skill to train?

Front Ariel was the hardest for me. I could never really do it. Easiest was side Ariel.

16. How did/do you deal with getting in your head on skills?

I would just tell myself that my body knew what to do and then think about something completely not math related. Something like trying to figure out lyrics to a fast song.

17. How did you stay out of your head at practice and at meet?

My coaches in college would just tell me to “do you” and that “your normal is enough” and that’s all I did.

18. Have any of you got a skill for a few weeks on any event and then a week or to later you just can't do it? If this has happened to you how have you dealt with it or overcome it?

Oh wow a Piked tkatchev. I could do it one day and then the next the timing was off. I would just try and let my body feel the bounce of the bar and remember the angle at which I’d have to throw. Worked every time

19. How did you cope when your time as a gymnast was over? Did you go into coaching or did you find something else to fill what gymnastics filled?

My goal always was to be a orthopaedic surgeon and to work with gymnasts in the future. So when my career ended, I knew I’d be back. Also, my career ended in covid so I wasn’t alone.

20. Advice you would give to current or people who want to start in the sport?

Just have fun, learning new skills gives you the feeling that you’re flying and nothing can compare to that. It’s an extremely hard and fulfilling sport