How did you get involved with gymnastics at OUGym?

I was brought up on a ton of different sports, so I’ve always enjoyed being active. In my late teens I developed a massive obsession with parkour, and originally joined OUGym thinking gymnastics would help me improve at that. Gymnastics turned out to be so much better: it has everything I could ever want out of a sport*, so I started devoting my full attention to it and still absolutely love it to this day!

*(ok, maybe a bit lacking in cardio 😅 – we run conditioning sessions for that)

Did you do gymnastics when you were younger?

Nothing formal. I had a good base of strength and flexibility from martial arts, a good level of fitness from skiing and tennis, a love for movement, and a healthy amount of recklessness.

How have you managed training alongside your studies? What does a normal training session look like for you?

Training helped my studies. The one thing I really need after spending the whole day at a desk is to get out and move… and I don’t just mean a little jog. Gymnastics gets your muscles working, your heart pumping, and hell, you get to be airborne!

What’s great about training is that after warming up, you can pretty much work on what you feel like that day. I might want to work some skills on the bars, strength on the rings, acrobatics on the sprung floor, or just a little fitness and flexibility. If I want to do more than one thing, I can mix and match, dividing the session time up between various activities.

Another reason training with OUGym is so enjoyable: if you’re feeling sociable, there’s always friends to talk to or work together with. On the flip side, if it’s been a long day and you just want some ‘me’ time, it’s also just as easy to knuckle down and focus on goals independently.

What would you say to someone who was considering taking up gymnastics and joining OUGym?

Want a social sport where you’re surrounded by a great bunch of fun, supportive and energetic people? Join OUGym.