10 Questions with Olivia Karas

Olivia Karas or Liv for short, is a level 10 gymnast on the rise. She trains at IK Gymnastics in Chicago, Illinois and is coached by Irina Kudina- whom she has trained under for many years. After having a phenomenal performance at her first JO National Championships in 2011, Olivia injured her back and was forced to miss the entire 2012 competition season. Luckily, Olivia was able to rally back strong in 2013, becoming the Level 10 State Champion on beam and floor, and accepting a full ride scholarship to compete for the University of Michigan in 2016. We talked to Olivia about recovering from her back injury, qualifying to the upcoming Nastia Cup, and her goals for the future!

At your very first JO National Championships, you managed to place 5th all around, 5th on vault, and 2nd on floor. Can you walk us through that whole experience?

Nationals was such an amazing experience! I absolutely loved being apart of a team and meeting all of the new people! It was nerve wracking, however- since it was my first JO Nationals, so I was definitely nervous but after the first event, which was vault, I was just excited and happy to be there! I was very happy with my results. I had no expectations to place high or anything, I just wanted to gain experience from it and really get to see all of the other girls competing. It was so much fun and I hope to make it again! 

Can you talk about the back injury that you had in 2012 and how you stayed motivated through that tough time? 

I fractured my back in January of 2012, which was such a shock. I was in great shape to compete for the season, so the injury came at the worst time possible and was honestly heartbreaking. I went to the gym everyday to do conditioning and stretching, but it was really hard to watch all of my other teammates train and compete. Though it was hard, it really motivated me to stay with it and not give up because I knew how much I loved gymnastics from just sitting there and watching everyone else. 

You made your comeback in 2013, can you talk about competing again and how your back is doing now? 

My back occasionally acts up. It will kind of be injured forever, but if I keep up with my physical therapy exercises and icing, I should be fine. In 2013, I really wanted to compete. At the first meet, I only did beam. It was great to get out there again, but it was honestly horrible to have to scratch everything else. The next Monday after the meet, I came into the gym and told my coach Irina, that I wanted to do floor. She just laughed because our next meet was in two weeks and she was like 'there is no way you are going to put a floor routine together in two weeks.' As usual, I wanted to prove her wrong, and did. It was amazing to get back out there and it was icing on the cake to win beam and floor at states. 

What was your reaction when you found out that you qualified to the Nastia Cup? What are some of your goals for the meet? 

I was shocked! My teammate, Lena Buescher was sitting next to me and she started crying, and then I started crying! It was such a surprise to me that I could qualify. It was always in the back of my head. During the national anthem at the meet, there was a poster that said that the meet was a qualifier to the Nastia Cup and I was thinking, "wouldn't that be like so cool!" and it happened, which is still a shock. It won't become reality until I get there. I am so looking forward to getting the experience of competing on a podium and meeting tons of new people. I honestly have no real goals for the meet except to have fun! It is amazing to even be given the opportunity to compete! 

A few months ago you mentioned that you wanted to compete elite, is that still the goal for you? 

I have decided to stick with level 10. Elite was a goal of mine and I did start training it, but I have had many minor injuries that have been setbacks and have really made it hard to go for it. I would rather focus on making a great level 10 program and focusing on college. 

Speaking of college, you are committed to the University of Michigan! Why did you choose Michigan and what are you looking forward to most about competing there? 

University of Michigan was my first choice from the start. The team is so amazing, the facility is gorgeous, and the coaches are so great! I love the school so much and absolutely can't wait to compete for such an amazing team. I really am looking forward to meeting new girls that will soon become some of my best friends and get to compete for a school that I love to death. 

Olivia (far right) with junior elite Vanasia Bradley, and future teammates
Emma McLean and Maggie O'Hara.

Who is your favorite gymnast and why? 

Definitely Kerri Strug. I do the same vault as her and I am amazed at how she landed it on one leg. I can hardly land it on two! She is the perfect example of not giving up and persevering even if you're in so much pain. I admire her for that. 

What is your favorite event and why?

I absolutely love beam, but I hate competing it. I understand beam the most and love making up new combinations and skills. I love competing floor the most, but beam is still my favorite event. 

Are you working on any new upgrades that you can share? 

I really want to try to put a double layout in my floor routine, but we will see how that goes. Other than that, just trying to stay stable and confident on all of the other events!

What are your goals for this season?

For this season, I really just want to stay injury free and have fun! I obviously want to make Regionals and Nationals, and maybe even the All Star Team, but most importantly to keep myself healthy and enjoy the season as if it's one of my lasts!