Interview With Iowa Gymnast Gabe Fry

1. What age did you start gymnastics?

I started gymnastics as soon as I could walk! If I remember correctly, my first class was around 7 months old.

2. How did you start in gymnastics?

I was fortunate that my grandma started my families gym in 1963. So I was born into the sport and have involved with it ever since.

3. How did you deal with mental blocks?

I have struggles with numerous mental blocks in gymnastics. The best way I can push through them is breaking down what my goal is to chip away until I am ready to move on. Also, finding inspiration online watching old world and national championships.

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

I have had many over time including my father who has been coaching for over 40 years and various gymnasts like Kenzo Shirai, Stacy Ervin, John Roethlisberger, Adrian De Los Angeles, and more recently Kellen Ryan.

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

One of my biggest struggles is working past injuries/physical struggles. While I haven’t had any life changing injuries or anything requiring major surgery, I have gone through multiple injuries during competition seasons that seem to strip away my season goals. I also have a large struggle with competition anxiety. There are time where my body tenses up and I can’t do what I have been training for months to years.

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

As I mentioned previously, I am not the best when it comes to suppressing my nerves. But If I am competing alone I like to listen to some relaxing music leading up to my routines. But in my time at Iowa, feeding off of and sharing the energy from the team always seemed to push me past my anxiety.

7. What was your biggest accomplishment in gymnastics?

I would have to say my time in GymACT and doing anything I can to help it grow and support more athletes is amount my top accomplishments. Especially with the Iowa team.

8. When you were done competing in the sport? Did you stay involved in it with coaching etc?

I am still planning on competing in the future, but I do coach currently as well and I got certified as a men’s coach last year!

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

Gymnastics doesn’t always have to feel like work and it is important to not take everything so seriously.

10. What is your favorite meet?

My favorite competition I have been a part of was the home meet we hosted my first year at Iowa in the field house. Sadly there haven’t been any more hosted there since but it was great to compete in Iowa City.

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

Honestly, I don’t really feel much pressure from others. I feel like a lot of it comes from myself, so to work on it I started writing out my goals and working through them to help relive some of that pressure.

12. How do you overcome setbacks and challenges?

I overcome physical setbacks by really making sure to listen to my doctors, and metal setbacks by slowing things down and working through it internally until my confidence is back.

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

Absolutely. I wanted to do college gymnastics ever since I was a little kid.

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

Vault. It just hurts my body and I could never really figure out higher level vaults well.

15. Hardest and easiest gymnastics skill to train?

The hardest for me is any skill that requires letting go of the highbar lol. Easiest would have to be any skill on horse.

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

DBAB if you you get it, you understand.

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

The energy of the team and some good music in my headphones.

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?

I definitely have. I just remind myself that I am capable and take the right steps to getting it again.

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?

I am coping by still not quitting lol. I struggle with letting go of the competition aspect because I have some goals I made a long time ago that I haven’t completed yet.

20. What two goals you want to achieve in the sport of gymnastics?

I would like to give as much as I can back to the sport once I can finally hang up the grips. And I would like to compete at USAG championships.

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

Don’t underestimate rehabbing your injuries if you do have them. And don’t underestimate the importance of prehab to avoid getting injuries.