Interview With Iowa Gymnast Maggie Ball

How old were you when you started gymnastics, and what originally drew you to the sport?

I was put into baby classes at one, growing up I was surrounded by gymnastics so it seemed natural for me to start, it wasn’t until I got older that I developed a passion for it.

What is your favorite meet, your favorite and least favorite events, and the hardest/easiest skill you ever trained?

My favorite meet I’ve ever competed in was JO nationals in Florida 2024 this was after I had been injured and was my first ever nationals so it felt just that much sweeter. My favorite event is beam my least favorite is bars, the hardest skill I’ve trained is probably an Onodi.

Gymnastics is incredibly mental. What was your hardest struggle during your time as a gymnast? How did you deal with nerves, pressure, and getting in your head or temporarily "losing" a skill?

Growing up I had a lot of mental problems, I had to repeat level nine because of some of these mental blocks I feel like what helped me the most is to first of all remember that it is just gymnastics and everything is going to be ok no matter what happens in the gym. Then I would go back and start from the basics of the skill try and build it back, visualization is also a great tool. Dealing with nerves also used to be a big struggle of mine, my routines would look so good in the gym, but then when I went to compete something would always go wrong, when I started putting my trust in God and his plan for me instead of myself, only then did I start to have a new sense of calm in competing

What was your biggest accomplishment in the sport, and did you ever want to do college gymnastics?

Most people would say my biggest accomplishment was back to back wins at nationals on beam but when I look back I feel like my biggest accomplishment started way before that. When I got tore my labrum the second time I almost quit, it just didn’t seem possible after all of my adversity to keep going, but I did I would say my biggest accomplishment was my first meet back competing every event, that meet felt like I had completed something that seemed impossible to me and everyone else. I have always wanted to do college gymnastics it was my dream since I was a little girl, so when Jen gave me the opportunity to compete at Iowa I was so grateful and couldn’t wait to be a Hawkeye

How did you cope when your time as a gymnast ended, and did you transition into coaching or are you currently still competing?

I am still currently competing

Who was your gymnastics role model, and what advice would you give to someone starting the sport for the first time?

I would say growing up with parents who coached one of the best teams in the country I looked up to them a lot, they always seemed like the yoda of gymnastics to me, they have so much experience and knowledge in the sport their opinion and advise really meant a lot to me growing up and now

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

One goal is as a team. I would love if we could make it to Texas and be a part of the national championship. I feel like that’s a dream that every college gymnast has. Another is I would love to be a student coach!