Catching up with Bayle Pickel!

Last February we interviewed the 2011 JO National Champion Bayle Pickel. (You can read it here.) Where she shared with us her plans on going elite and some of the new skills she was training. On February 16th, Bayle passed her elite compulsory test with a score of 37.325. Shortly after she injured her knee ending any chance of qualifying to elite this year. We caught up with Bayle again to catch up on her progress! 

You injured yourself earlier this year, what exactly did you do?


"I opened up on a double front and landed wrong. I broke my tibia, fibula, and tore my calf muscle."

How is your training going and are you back to full strength? 


"Training is going good! I am almost up to full speed. I am doing tumble track, vaulting on the tumble track, and sprinting! I started working beam skills on the floor just this week. I have been trying to get my knee as strong as possible so when I'm back doing everything, I won't have any problems!"

You mentioned trying to go elite in our last interview, is that still the plan?


"Yes! I still have hopes of being an elite. I still plan to train elite. I will have to test my compulsories again!"

Do you know when your next meet will be? 


"I'm not positive on when I'll be competing next, although I do know that it will be at the end of this year. I will probably test (for elite) whenever the next compulsory is, normally they are in January. I do not know for sure on when I will be competing, but I'm almost 100% positive it will be at the end of the year."

Is it hard watching your teammates compete while you're on the sidelines? 


"Even though I was hurt, I was still there to support my teammates. It was definitely hard watching everyone else work on new skills while I sat there. I am going to be a little nervous for my first meet but excited at the same time!"

What is it like training at Twistars with one of the biggest contenders for the Olympics in your gym? Does it ever get distracting with all the media attention and publicity Twistars has been getting? 


"I absolutely love the atmosphere of the gym right now! Everyone is extremely positive and always there to help if you need it. Jo is such an inspiration to everyone in that gym! She's positive and knows how to perfect her skills. I actually don't mind the publicity, I think it's pretty cool!

Follow Bayle on Twitter