TBA
TBA
1. Name, Age, Hometown:
Alexandria Ruiz, 16, Lake Mary, Fla.
2. Do you have a nickname?
Alex
3. Where do you live to train? (Not your hometown unless you train in hometown)
Longwood, Fla.
4. When and why did you first become interested in gymnastics?
My mom put me in a rec class when I was 3.
5. Do you have any good/funny memories from when you first started taking gymnastics classes?
I remember doing things I thought were normal and everyone could do but then being confused when I impressed my coaches
6. When did you decide you wanted to compete? And, when did you want to compete on the elite level? What about competition appeals to you?
I wanted to compete after I saw gymnastics on TV and on the elite level after watching the Olympics. I like showing others what I can do and the feeling you get during competition.
7. What is your training regimen? Was that a big change when you made the switch to competitive gymnastics?
Monday-Friday, 4 hours a day. The biggest change was the hours, training for a purpose and having goals.
8. What is your favorite event?
Floor and vault.
9. What is your favorite skill?
Double layout on floor or double back off beam.
10. What music do you use for your floor routine?
It’s a cut from the song Sambuka by Artem Uzunov.
11. Who is your idol?
I look up to my parents but in gymnastics, it’s Shawn Johnson and Aly Raisman.
12. How has gymnastics helped you as a person?
It has taught me discipline and perseverance in the best way.
13. If you had to select one life lesson that gymnastics has taught you, what would it be?
After every fall, get back up and keep working hard because it will pay off.
14. What grade are you in and where do you go to school?
10th grade at Seminole HS
15. What are your favorite subjects?
Math and Science.
16. If you plan to go to college, what do you want to study there?
Sports Medicine.
17. What are your goals for the future, both as an athlete and after you are finished competing?
As a gymnast, to compete at the University of Denver and after, have a career in Sports Medicine to help others.
18. When you are not in the gym, how do you spend your time? Hobbies or favorite activities?
I like to read and bake.
19. What is your favorite food?
Steak
20. Favorite movie?
God’s Not Dead
21. Favorite music group?
Newsboys and Colton Dixon.
22. If you had to pick three words to describe yourself as a gymnast, what would they be?
Competitive, Determined, and thankful.
23. If you had to pick three words to describe yourself not as a gymnast, what would they be?
Faithful, loving, and creative.
By Romy Schwaiger
Born on October 28, 1999, Alexandria Ruiz will be the youngest gymnast to compete at the Nastia Liukin Cup.
In her gym, Alexandria, called Alex, is the second youngest gymnast in Level 10. “One of my teammates is a month younger than me,” Alex says. At just 12 years old, she gets to practice with the older girls: “It’s a lot different with the older teammates, but it’s fun to see all their skills and to work with them.”
Alex started with gymnastics when she was 3 years old, when “my mom signed me up for recreational classes and a year later I started at the big gym.” She practices at ACE Gymnastics in Longwood, Fla., under coach Ray Gnat, and this will be her first season as a Level 10 gymnast.
What Alex likes most about gymnastics is to learn new skills and then to work to perfect them.
She qualified for the Nastia Liukin Cup at the Presidential Classic in Buena Vista Lake, Fla., where she finished second on vault, third on bars and beam, fourth on floor and first in the all-around by posting a total score of 37.750 points.
As a sixth grader, Alex’s favorite subject is science, “I like to know how things work and to do experiments.”
In her spare time, the Lake Mary, Fla., native, likes to read and her favorite books are Harry Potter, Percy Jackson andThe Hunger Games.