Student Body in Motion

A constant knock against Alsion is that our student body is neither agile nor sporty. Sometimes, a quick glance at the sports court during P.E. confirms this: the flailing limbs, the ungainly strides, the sudden shrieks, the crooked coordination, the slow, swamp-like pace. Our infamy is mainly the effect of our small population and lack of sports facilities. It is definitely not because we have a dearth of athletes. So many of our students–itching to kick, shoot, glide, hit, throw, slide, catch, spin, dive, splash, fall–find their kinetic outlet off campus. It would be a shame not to give their endeavors any acknowledgment.

For this feature the student athlete we spotlight is Nitya Sharma, gymnast.

How did you start your gymnastics journey? How long have you been competing?

I started gymnastics because my cousin, Kaavya, was doing it and at that time I did whatever sport Kaavya did. That was when I was about five. I’ve been competing since I was nine or ten, so about three and a half years.

In gymnastics, there are a lot of crazy and complicated stunts people do. Have you ever gotten injured? What’s the story behind your worst injury?

I’ve actually been pretty lucky and never gotten seriously injured. My worst injury isn’t a crazy one and was a result of doing too many back walkovers on beam, which led to me straining my back.

Playing a sport makes you passionate about professional athletes. Who’s your favorite gymnast?  

My favorite gymnast is probably Katelyn Ohashi, even before she went viral and all that stuff. I thought her story and her journey with gymnastics was so brave and inspiring, and she is also just an incredible athlete.

What’s your favorite part about gymnastics? This can be anything from the feeling you get when you stick a landing to the people you compete with.

I like the feeling of accomplishment that gymnastics gives you. You have to put in so many hours and work so hard to perfect a single skill, and even if it took you a year to get that skill, once you do it’s the best feeling in the world.

Coaches are a big part of being an athlete, and oftentimes they give great advice. What’s the best advice your coach has given you?  

The best advice a coach has ever given me was that gymnastics is supposed to be an outlet for all of your problems, not an added problem. I feel like this could apply to almost any extracurricular, but it really helped me put things into perspective.

Competitions can be one of the most nerve-wracking aspects of playing a sport. Tell us a competition story whether it be a great victory or a heartbreaking loss.

Once, I was at a meet a couple of years ago, and I was on bars, my best event. I was already not doing so well, so I was counting on a good bar routine to lift up my scores and my spirits. Unfortunately, I was so out of it that I fell and sat on the ground for about ten seconds before getting up and going again. Then to make matters worse, I fell again, falling flat on my face. At that point I was crying and still had to finish my routine, so that sucked.