Interview With Seiko Mallon

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

I was two and I started in mommy and me classes to help with my coordination and I just fell in love with it.

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

My favorite meet was 2026 Nationals because it felt like all my hard work had finally paid off, and I felt super confident while competing. My favorite event is beam, and my least favorite is vault. The hardest skills for me were probably anything on vault, and the easiest is a front aerial on beam.

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?

I struggled with a lot of mental blocks during the transition from Level 9 to Level 10, and I lost almost all of my skills. I took it day by day and celebrated the little wins, which made it a lot easier to show up the next day and tackle the next mental block. I deal with nerves by taking a deep breath, giving myself positive affirmations, and saying my mental cues during my routines. If I temporarily lost a skill and started getting in my head, I would go back to the basics and maintain a positive mindset to remind myself that I am capable of doing the skill again.

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

My biggest accomplishment was ma hitting my beam routine at nationals and doing what I knew I was capable of after having mistakes on beam at previous nationals. I always wanted to do college gymnastics and I am so excited to pursue that dream.

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

Still competing.

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

My older teammates were big role models for me, as well as Shawn Johnson. The advice I would give someone starting out is to have fun and maintain a positive attitude because it makes the sport more enjoyable for both you and the people around you.

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

I want to finish out my last club season strong. In college, I want to make it to Nationals with my team.