Interview With Kambry Tucker

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

I started gymnastics at 3 years old. I was originally drawn to this sport when I watched the olympics, and I saw all of the Olympians doing cool flips.

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

My favorite meet was 2026 Regionals because I made all around DP Nationals, and won floor with a 9.95. My favorite event is floor and my least favorite event is bars. My hardest skill I trained is a round off half on pike off on vault. The easiest skill I ever learned was my round off backhand spring 1 1/2 front layout.

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?

My biggest struggle was my senior year. I got injured at the end of my junior year and didn’t know if I was going to get the opportunity to do college gymnastics. I wasn’t really being recruited anymore, but I kept pushing myself and focused on becoming the best gymnast I could be. Instead of letting nerves and the pressure of having college coaches watching me take over, I decided to just go out there, do my best, and have fun. I knew those were the only things I could control. This helped me so much mentally because I was able to enjoy competing instead of putting so much pressure on myself.

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

My biggest accomplishment in gymnastics was making it in the AA at DP Nationals after getting injured and having a rough start to my senior year. Being a college gymnast was a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I always looked up to them because they were amazing to watch and seemed to have so much fun, and I wanted to be a part of that one day. I knew how hard it was to make it to that level, so I challenged myself to work hard and set a goal to become one of them.

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

Fortunately I haven’t dealt with the coping of not doing gymnastics anymore because I just started my freshman year on the University of Nebraska’s gymnastics team

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

My gymnastics role models were Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas. They were mentally tough competitors who worked hard to overcome challenges and achieve their Olympic dreams. My advice to someone starting gymnastics is to never give up, even when things get hard. There were times in my own gymnastics journey when things were difficult, but I learned that pushing through those moments made me stronger. Gymnastics will challenge you both physically and mentally, but it teaches you so much about yourself. It has taught me to keep going even when things don’t go as planned and to believe in myself. No matter what happens in gymnastics, the lessons you learn will stay with you for the rest of your life.

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

I want to continue getting stronger, earn a spot in the lineup, and help my team win a conference championship and national title. Another goal is to be a leader on the team, encourage my teammates, and help push each other to be better every day.