Catching up with Brittany Rogers

With two Olympics in her back pocket as well as a college degree, Brittany Rogers continues to prove that hard work and dedication does indeed pay off. At the age of 24, she is well respected amongst the gymnastics community and very accomplished in her career. Most notably, she was a member of the 2012 Olympic team that secured Canada's highest placement ever at an Olympic Games (5th). She also qualified to the event finals on vault where she placed 7th. The following year she began her collegiate career at the University of Georgia, where she would go on to score a perfect 10 on vault, become a five-time All-American and an NCAA champion on bars. She is one of few gymnasts to successfully balance the demanding schedule of a college athlete while also training at the elite level. You know, just Brittany Rogers things.  In 2016, she competed in her second Olympics; finishing 9th with the Canadian team and narrowly missing out on the vault final. An unfortunate fall on the uneven bars kept her out of that final as well.

With the passion and desire for gymnastics still looming inside her, Brittany now has her sights set on the 2017 World Championships in Canada and hopefully beyond. We recently caught up with Brittany to reflect back on her career and what's ahead. 

PC: Canadian Olympic Committee 

How would you compare and contrast both of your Olympic experiences? 
Without stating the obvious, as London being my first games, it was all about soaking in the every little moment and enjoying the entire experience. No one on that team had ever been to an Olympic Games before, so we were all extremely happy and excited to be there. In Rio, I felt that I took on more of a leadership role, and became more aware of how to be apart of a team after my four years at Georgia, which I then applied to the Olympics. Because Ellie and I were veterans of the team, we were able to help guide the younger girls as to what to expect, and what we learned from out first games.

How challenging was it to be a college athlete while training for the Olympics? The world wants to know how you did it! 
Great question! My incredible support system was the backbone to my success. They made everything possible and did all of the behind the scenes work, and all I had to do was show up, ready to work! My passion and love for gymnastics is still very present, so I keep telling myself that as long as I still enjoy doing gymnastics, I will keep training as long as my body and certain circumstances will allow me. The most challenging part about balancing everything was "catching up" what I missed whenever I returned back home to prepare for competitions. I went from doing maybe 20 hours a week maximum in college, to 30+ hours a week of intense training at my club gym, with twice the difficulty in my routines, which was always a bit of a shock to the system. As soon as I overcame that I just kept going with the flow and never looked back.

Do you think competing every weekend while in college benefited you?
I attribute a lot of being a more confident competitor to competing every weekend in college for four years. I think the fact that I just kept going, rested on days when I felt tired, and stayed mentally alert, it really helped me stay physically cable of taking on the workload that I did. As soon as the Olympics were over I took a few weeks off, and then proceeded to become very ill, which forced me to take almost 2 months off. I think that was my body telling me that it was in need of a major break if I wanted to continue doing elite gymnastics.

Where are you training now that you've graduated? 
I'm back in Canada training at Calgary Gymnastics Centre with my coach, Janna Ball!

Are you working on any upgrades that you can share? 
I am working on connecting my pak into my shaposh half directly on bars and seeing if I can add some twists on vault, however those are still in the works!

How excited are you that Canada is hosting the World Championships? Assuming you make the team, will you have a lot of friends and family in the stands? 
A large part of my motivation to continue doing gymnastics was because Worlds was being held in Canada, and I wanted the opportunity to compete in front of a home crowd at an international competition. It will be my first time competing internationally in Canada so it would be a very special moment for me should I make the team. Everyone that asks me about what my plans are, what's next, etc; I always tell them "Worlds in Montreal in October, you're coming!" because how often can I say that?! My family and a lot of my friends are definitely trying to make the trip, all they need is some confirmation form this end!

What has kept you motivated after all these years? 
Like I mentioned before, I have such a strong passion for gymnastics, that every time I step into the gym, all I want to do is improve from the day before, even if it's hitting one more handstand or sticking one more dismount. Gymnastics is a world of endless possibilities, and I still don't believe I have reached my full potential. I'm excited to see where my preparation for Worlds takes me, and hopefully beyond!

What are some of your future goals in the sport? 
Worlds has been my focus since the Olympics, so if that happens, my plan is to reassess where I'm at mentally and physically, and decide what the next steps are after that. It's definitely a "one day at a time" life for me right now, but so far it's doing the trick.

You were in a scene of the movie Final Destination 5, how did that opportunity come about? (Note: In the movie Brittany played a gymnast named Porter and also did some stunt double work.)
They sent out a casting call to the gym I was training at over that time, Phoenix Gymnastics in West Vancouver. One of my dreams has always been to be an actress. I have taken several acting classes and was always in school plays growing up, so of course I jumped at the opportunity! I auditioned for the lead role, however I think they had already casted her at that point. One of my very first coaches, Simon Burnett, who is now a very successful stunt artist in movies, was ironically involved in casting in this movie and suggested I have the role of Porter, and do some of the stunts for the lead actress. She was actually a gymnast herself, but quit the sport because of acting, so it was neat to see how much she could do! I was just there to help perform some skills that she wasn't capable of. (You can watch Brittany's scene here. Warning: Not recommended for the faint hearted.) 

What are your thoughts on the recent coaching changes at Georgia? 
I have always been so proud to be apart of Georgia Gymnastics due to the prestigious history behind the program, so having Courtney and Suzanne back is very exciting and I have no doubts that they will continue to build on the legacy they both have worked very hard to establish. I was always a huge fan of Courtney's gymnastics, and in awe of the accomplishments by Suzanne as coach, so I'm sure they will do tremendous things together, along with the new assistant coaches.

What are your future plans as far as your career goes? 
I studied Journalism in school, so my dream job is to be a Sports Reporter/Analyst. Because I'm still doing gymnastics, my focus is very honed in to the gym and continuing my career and eventually ending strong, but once I retire I am really looking forward to where my passion for performing, writing and speaking will take me!

What has been the proudest moment of your gymnastics career so far?
I think 2016 was overall a very proud year for me. I balance, overcame, and grew a great amount, and accomplished things I never thought would be possible. I definitely surprised myself a lot during the 2016 year in both college and elite, and I continue to have a greater understanding of myself as a person, which I think is the best accomplishment one can have in life. I'm proud of where I have been, proud of where I am, and extremely excited for where I am going!