University of North Carolina Athletics
Gymnastics Spotlight of the Week: Shawna Kelly
February 26, 2007 | Women's Gymnastics
Feb. 26, 2007
1. How did you get started as a gymnast?
"Well when I was five I was put into a little tumbling tots class, and then I got picked for a team the next year. I just loved it and I've been doing it ever since."
2. What is your favorite event and why?
"My favorite event is bars, I think because it has always been one of my better events and I just enjoy it the most. I like to swing."
3. Do you idolize any other gymnasts?
"Christine Robella I've looked up to for a long time. She's a senior on our team. We competed in high school together and she was always kind of a role model for me."
4. How do you like to spend your time when you're not practicing or competing?
"Well I'm a biology major. I like to do research in the lab. I like music a lot and hanging out with my roommates and friends."
5. Do you have a favorite course that you have taken at UNC?
"My favorite class is probably Social Entrepreneuralship. We're designing social enterprises to better the community."
6. How do you prepare physically for your competitions?
"I visualize my routines a lot at practice and at competitions. That keeps me mentally strong."
7. Do you have any superstitions associated with gymnastics?
"Well most of my gymnastics is pretty routine, so the order in which I do things like warming up and stretching is pretty important."
8. What do you like most about being an athlete at UNC?
"I like the sense of community between our team and other sports. The athletic community really sticks together. There were a lot of teams here supporting us and we make it out to other games too."
9. What motivates you to be a great gymnast?
"I think at this point, I do a lot of gymnastics for myself. I've been working hard all of my life, and these are the glory days."
10. What are some of your individual and team goals for this year?
"I want to be consistent on every event. I want to make every routine and hit every handstand. For the team, we want to come out and put up six good routines on every event each meet. Long term, we are looking at doing well at Eagle again and at regionals to make it to nationals. That's what we want to do."
Players Mentioned
