15 year old Helen Hu is everything that olden day gymnastic fans love. With her elegant lines and innovative tricks, Helen is a crowd-pleaser in every way possible. She let's her personality shine through her unique skills and captivates the crowd with each routine. Helen is currently a level 10 gymnast who trains at IK Gymnastics in Illinois. She had a good year in 2016-- qualifying to the Nastia Cup and winning the beam title at the JO National Championships. 2017 could bring bigger and better things for this talented young lady. We recently caught up with Helen to talk about her 2016 season and discuss her future plans.
How did you get started in gymnastics?
Both of my older siblings did gymnastics so when I was old enough I followed them and began classes.
Growing up, who was your inspiration in the sport?
I never had a specific idol or anything. I always just worked on improving myself rather than compare myself to others. Once I got older I did begin to look up to my older teammates who were in level 10.
Are you homeschooled or do you go to public school?
I go to a private school!
What was it like competing in such a big event like the Nastia Cup?
It was really amazing. Getting a chance to be a part of all of it was both fun and scary. I was really worried about competing on a podium but it was actually scary because the audience was so big and every time I flipped I would get lost in the high ceiling. Getting to meet Nastia was great, we got to talk and take pictures with her. I actually have this video of my floor routine where at the end I do this trick and in the background you can see Nastia's dad Valeri freak out! That made me really happy when I noticed it!
Can you tell me a little about your floor routine? It's very unique!
I love my floor routine! I'm actually competing it again this year and getting a new one for next season. Having the choreography that I do makes tumbling all the more tiring and difficult but I think it's always worth it because I love watching the awe on peoples faces when I compete.
Has flexibility always come natural to you?
I was always more flexible than the average person but I still have to work to maintain it. Being such a flexible person has forced me to condition a lot because of my natural lack of muscle. While I focus a lot on working out and working on my strength, I still have to stretch to maintain my flexibility so I don't loose it.
What are your goals for the upcoming season?
I definitely want to qualify to nationals again and hopefully do a bit better than I did last time. I did great on beam, which is my favorite event, but I completely failed on bars. I'm also working on vault a lot because vault has always been my worst event.
What are some of your long term goals? Have you considered going elite?
I considered going into elite gymnastics in middle school but a year and a half ago I realized it wasn't something I wanted to pursue. My goal now is definitely college gymnastics. I'm not very far in the process but I'm hoping to grab some [attention] this season and hopefully even get some offers.
Are you working on any new skills?
I'm working on a jaeger and a full out dismount, so I might add one of those skills to my bar routine. For vault I'm hoping to compete a yurchenko layout full, I currently only have a layout. That's about it!
What has been the proudest moment in your career so far?
Qualifying to both the Nastia Cup and Nationals for the first time within one season. I didn't do my best at the actual meets but I'm proud to have even competed.
