Being a successful collegiate athlete requires time and dedication — something gymnast Mya Hooten understands well. “My team trains for four hours, five days a week. On Saturdays, I have a yoga class, and Sunday is a complete rest day,” says the 21-year-old gymnast, who competes for the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities. “It takes a lot of drive, and you have to be very determined to stay in the sport.”
Every activity has its challenges, but the long training hours and mental focus required for gymnastics are especially tough. “My coach always tells me you need to be mentally strong to be in this sport,” Hooten explains. “Even on a bad day, I aim to remember one thing good I did that day.”
It’s this attitude and advice that helped Hooten earn a spot on the team at the University of Minnesota, where she’s been competing for the last three years. “In high school, I had to give up a lot of things,” she explains. “We had practice on Fridays, so I couldn’t go to football games or hang out with my friends.”
Hooten credits her family and her teammates for championing her career as a gymnast. “You need a support system because every day is not going to be perfect,” she says. “My family has always been encouraging of my goals. And being on a team is like having 20 sisters on my side. It’s just a fun environment, and I feel like I wouldn’t be where I am right now if it wasn’t for my teammates. On my bad days, someone will always come up to me and say, ‘Hey, you got this! Just keep going,’ I know they always have my back.”
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