University of North Carolina Athletics
Gymnastics Spotlight: Kara Wright
March 23, 2010 | Women's Gymnastics
March 23, 2010
In her final home meet as a Carolina gymnast, senior Kara Wright performed at her highest-level and scored personal bests in the all-around and on floor exercise to help the Tar Heels score their highest team score since 2004. Wright is an exceptional gymnast and was honored by the East Atlantic Gymnastics League every season for accomplishments in the gym and in the classroom. The Virginia Beach, Va. native was named EAGL Gymnast of the Week twice in 2010 and she is also a member of the Carolina Leadership Academy. Wright's leadership, academics and athletics have also been recognized by the university.
Wright and the Tar Heels travel to Durham, New Hampshire for the EAGL Championships on Saturday, March 27 at 2 p.m.
Head Coach Derek Galvin on Wright: Kara has been such an all-around student-athlete. She's being inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and she's one of the top gymnasts in the history of our program. We knew in the recruiting process that she was someone who would contribute to the university in a lot of ways. I can't believe that four years have already gone by. She has shown that hard work and a tenacious attitude can indeed lead to amazing accomplishments. Her energetic style and gifted athleticism have been enhanced each year by her strong desire to continually improve. Her eagerness to give to the team, and to do her very best has been obvious throughout her college career. Without Kara our team most certainly would not have been as strong, and we probably wouldn't have had quite as much fun over the past four years either. She is an impressive person by any measure, and I'm very thankful she chose to pursue her college experience with us here at Carolina. I appreciate so much what she's given to our team.
TarHeelBlue.com: What did it mean to you to score a personal best in all-around on senior night?
Kara Wright: Senior night was better than I could have ever imagined. Personally, I just wanted to compete my very best to help the team. I went out with the goal of just enjoying every minute and having fun. With the team setting the highest total score since 2004, with all the energy and cheering from the crowd and with all the surprises from the juniors, I definitely did that! I think the most exciting part was when Derek told us that we had broken a 196 team total score. We had all been having so much fun just competing that we hadn't even realized how well we were doing. It was a feeling I will never forget.
THB.com: What were the keys to the team's success against Maryland and Rutgers last week?
KW: I think we went into these last two meets with a "no-holding back" attitude. There wasn't any hesitation in our routines and we just attacked everything one skill at a time. In other words, we stopped playing defense and started playing offense. Also, we had tons of enthusiasm, so it was easy to build off of each other's high energy.
THB.com: Looking back at your time as a Carolina gymnast what are your favorite memories?
KW: There are so many amazing memories from traveling and competing, but I think my best memories are just the little things that happen everyday in practice. This ranges from Derek's great jokes, to death sprints at 6:45 a.m., to spur-of-the-moment dance lessons and to seeing someone nail a new skill for the first time. With this group of girls and with our coaches, there is never a dull moment in our gym. We just work really hard at playing gymnastics.
THB.com: What are your plans for after graduation?
KW: This summer I am participating in the Coach for College Program in Vietnam. Basically, it is a program where collegiate student-athletes coach sport skills and teach basic academic skills to underprivileged youth in rural Vietnam. After that I will be doing an internship at ESPN (formerly Disney) Wide World of Sports. I will be managing and planning events. As for the long-term, I just know that I want to somehow remain involved in sports.
THB.com: What is your greatest individual accomplishment as a Carolina gymnast?
KW: It's hard for me to pick a specific accomplishment, but I hope that my passion and determination has in some way inspired my teammates. I am an extremely competitive person (whether it's in monopoly, kickball, or pull-ups, I do not like to lose) and I work hard at whatever I do, so I hope my drive and enthusiasm has been contagious.
THB.com: What is the best class you took as a student at Carolina and why?
KW: I really enjoyed Sports Law with Professor Osborne. I am thinking about law school and it was just really interesting to view sports from an entirely different perspective.
THB.com: How will the lessons that you've learned as a Tar Heel athlete transfer to post-college life?
KW: I think being a part of a team and learning to lead, encourage, work with, and confront different personalities will help me in my post-college life. Teamwork is absolutely essential, and I know I could not have accomplished a lot of my own personal goals without the support of my teammates. I know the same is true in the real world. In whatever career I am in, I know I will have to work with others to get things done. I will definitely utilize many of the leadership qualities I have gained through the Carolina Leadership Academy.
THB.com: What is the best advice Coach Galvin has given to you?
KW: Besides the numerous jokes and stories he tells us, I think the best thing I have learned from D-Rock is to find the positive in anything and everything. Whether I did the best routine of my life, or landed on my face, Derek will find something positive about what I did. I also really appreciate the advice Penny gave me one day when I was stressed out, "Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things." It's kind of silly, but it is very relevant to me and just helps me relax and enjoy whatever I'm doing.
THB.com: Where is your favorite place in Chapel Hill?
KW: My favorite place in Chapel Hill is the Pit in the middle of campus. There is always something going on and you can always find a friend to just sit and talk. There have been days in the springtime when we have just passed hours in the Pit people-watching and catching some rays.
THB.com: What does it mean to you to have been named to the EAGL all-academic team all four years?
KW: Academics have always been really important to me. It doesn't matter if its sports or school, I always give 100% in whatever I do, so it's a great feeling to know that all that hard work has paid off.
THB.com: What is the best thing about being a UNC gymnast?
KW: The best thing about being a UNC gymnast is having amazing teammates. They are always there to pump me up, make me laugh, put me in my place or just listen. It's like having 13 sisters. We share clothes, gossip in the chalk box, and even fight sometimes, and I wouldn't trade them for the world!
THB.com: What is your favorite event and why?
KW: I honestly love every event. Well let me rephrase that, I `love' vault, bars, and floor, and I just `like' beam. It changes day to day which event is my favorite, but floor is especially fun for me because it combines my personality and athleticism. I get to dance and play up to the crowd, but I also get to fly in my tumbling.
THB.com: What will you miss most about Carolina?
KW: EVERYTHING. Don't make me leave...please!
THB.com: What advice would you give to young gymnasts who hope to one day compete at the collegiate level?
KW: I would say work hard everyday, go all out, and have fun! But most importantly I would say never, never, NEVER give up!
Players Mentioned
