Interview With Paige Thaxton

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

I started gymnastics when I was 2 years old. My mom signed me up because I was a very active child. I was drawn to the sport because I excelled at a young age, enjoyed flipping through the air, and seeing some of my best friends every day.

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

My favorite meet in club was always regionals at Cereal City. It was so fun to feel the pressure in the moment and wonder if I would qualify to nationals. When I did I felt so accomplished all three times. In college my favorite meet was Sprouts Quad in Utah this past January. It was so amazing cheering for my teammates and doing something great by watching them breaking the beam record and winning the meet against our rivals. The energy was electric and vibes were high. My favorite event to compete in college is floor and my least favorite is beam. The hardest skill I ever trained was a yurchenko double twist in vault and the easiest was a layout on every event.

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 hardest struggle was coming back after Covid. Trying to regain all my skills after taking so much time off and adjust to a new normal was difficult. I dealt with pressure by finding ways that reassured me and calmed me down. I will tap my fingers to center myself and rely on my teammates to reiterate their faith in me.

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

My biggest accomplishment was making it to a Division 1 collegiate team. I always wanted to do college gymnastics so fulfilling that goal was such a surreal feeling.

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 competing. This summer I transferred to University of Illinois to get my Masters degree and use my last year of eligibility.

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

I feel like I didn’t have much of a gymnastics role model. Obviously Shawn Johnson and Nastia Luikin are stars in the gymnastics world but I didn’t want to be them. I wanted to be myself and find my limit. The advice that I would give would be to have an open mind and trust the process. The hardest days will push you the most and make the good days even sweeter.

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

I want to achieve making it to regionals with my new team and to finish my time as a gymnast healthy, happy, and with no regrets.