WEBVTT - Nastia Liukin 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:02.280 I will post this to social media at some point. 0:00:02.360 --> 0:00:04.880 Let's see if you can see that. Oh my gosh, 0:00:05.000 --> 0:00:10.399 yes we were at the gym. There we are in 0:00:11.119 --> 0:00:18.640 twenty ten, Nacia. I didn't realize you were smack dab 0:00:18.720 --> 0:00:23.200 off your wind and still going for more at that time, 0:00:23.800 --> 0:00:26.639 obviously wearing your signature pink with me. I was just 0:00:26.640 --> 0:00:31.160 about to say, some things don't change, like ever, thirteen 0:00:31.240 --> 0:00:33.560 years older and I still I didn't wear pink today, 0:00:33.600 --> 0:00:37.400 but I still I still like pink. Am I the 0:00:37.560 --> 0:00:44.879 greatest non gymnast that you've ever trained? Like to the 0:00:44.920 --> 0:00:47.920 point where I don't want to train any other non 0:00:48.000 --> 0:00:58.120 gymnasts ever again? Wait a Second's not That's not positive 0:00:58.160 --> 0:01:06.080 at all. Hi, I'm not doing it again. And I 0:01:06.120 --> 0:01:15.080 am a dog bomb and an Olympic gold medalist. Hello, 0:01:15.120 --> 0:01:19.559 my friends, and welcome back to another episode of Off 0:01:19.560 --> 0:01:24.319 the Beat. It's me your host, Brian Baumgartner here. Now 0:01:24.440 --> 0:01:27.480 you just got a little sneak peek from our conversation 0:01:27.560 --> 0:01:35.440 today with legendary Olympic gymnast Nastia Lutkin. Nastia has achieved 0:01:35.520 --> 0:01:39.360 everything in the world of gymnastics. Literally, She's a four 0:01:39.480 --> 0:01:43.279 time all around US national champion, a two time world 0:01:43.400 --> 0:01:47.640 champion on the balance beam, world champion on the uneven bars, 0:01:47.760 --> 0:01:50.800 and she even made history in the Beijing two thousand 0:01:50.920 --> 0:01:55.640 eight Olympics, winning five medals, including the all around gold. 0:01:55.840 --> 0:02:00.280 But more than that, she helped train me on the 0:02:00.320 --> 0:02:05.400 balance beam. True, well kind of Nastia was good enough 0:02:05.440 --> 0:02:09.160 to join me on my NBC Sports show Training for 0:02:09.280 --> 0:02:16.800 Tahoe back in and give me some personal hints about balance. Anyway, 0:02:16.840 --> 0:02:19.760 It's been a long time since I saw her thirteen 0:02:19.880 --> 0:02:23.400 years and uh, I was so excited today to dive 0:02:23.440 --> 0:02:27.160 back into her incredible journey to the Olympics, starting with 0:02:27.200 --> 0:02:33.600 her family. Listen, she truly lived the American dream. I'm 0:02:33.639 --> 0:02:38.200 not gonna lie, guys. I honestly I shed a small 0:02:38.240 --> 0:02:42.680 tier during this conversation. But gymnastics it's not the only 0:02:42.720 --> 0:02:46.920 thing Nastia has mastered. Since retirement, she has become a 0:02:46.960 --> 0:02:52.040 gymnastics analyst for NBC for the Olympics, she started the 0:02:52.080 --> 0:02:56.000 Nastia Ludken Cup, and she even competed in Fox's brand 0:02:56.000 --> 0:03:01.200 new competition series Special Forces. I can't wait for you 0:03:01.639 --> 0:03:04.560 to get to know Nastia a little bit. She is 0:03:05.280 --> 0:03:10.480 delightful here. She is one of Gymnastics. No. One of 0:03:10.760 --> 0:03:20.240 the Olympics all time greats Nastia Ludkin, Bubble and squeak. 0:03:21.600 --> 0:03:27.440 I love it, Bubble and squeak on bubble and squeaker 0:03:27.520 --> 0:03:43.800 cookie every moment left over from the nutty Nastia. Hi, 0:03:44.320 --> 0:03:49.240 Oh my gosh, it's been a few years. Wow, it 0:03:49.360 --> 0:03:53.320 has been a few years. I'm so excited to see 0:03:53.320 --> 0:03:56.520 you again. How are you O? I'm good. How many years? 0:03:56.720 --> 0:04:01.200 I mean it has been at least I would say 0:04:01.200 --> 0:04:04.360 between the five and ten mark, Okay, I know the answer. 0:04:04.680 --> 0:04:09.640 So what's your guest? I do um, okay, so actually 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:14.560 it's it's more than ten. You're right, because yeah, that 0:04:14.600 --> 0:04:20.600 means I'm getting old. No, I looked it up. I 0:04:20.680 --> 0:04:23.400 was trying to find the clip. I didn't. I just 0:04:23.520 --> 0:04:26.680 used Google before. But I will share it with you 0:04:26.800 --> 0:04:30.080 right now. I will post this to social media at 0:04:30.080 --> 0:04:32.440 some point. Let's see if you can see that. Oh 0:04:32.480 --> 0:04:37.520 my gosh, Yes, we were at the gym. There we 0:04:37.600 --> 0:04:44.640 are in twenty ten, Nasia. I didn't realize you were 0:04:46.040 --> 0:04:50.960 smack dab off your win and still going for more 0:04:51.000 --> 0:04:54.960 at that time, obviously wearing your signature pink with me. 0:04:55.160 --> 0:04:57.280 I was just about to say, some things don't change, 0:04:57.360 --> 0:05:01.719 like ever ten years older, and I still like didn't 0:05:01.720 --> 0:05:03.960 wear pink today, but I still I still like pink. 0:05:04.720 --> 0:05:09.719 Am I the greatest non gymnast that you've ever trained, 0:05:13.440 --> 0:05:16.040 Like to the point where I don't want to train 0:05:16.200 --> 0:05:24.040 any other non gymnasts ever again. Wait a second, that's 0:05:26.080 --> 0:05:30.240 not positive at all. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. All right, Well, 0:05:30.279 --> 0:05:33.200 we'll get into that in a little bit. Thank you 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:36.559 so much for coming on. I'm gonna take you back 0:05:36.960 --> 0:05:39.919 a little bit. We're gonna we're gonna learn more about well, 0:05:39.960 --> 0:05:45.440 at least you, than I did thirty years ago. It 0:05:45.560 --> 0:05:49.719 was probably twelve twelve, twelve and a half. So you 0:05:49.760 --> 0:05:53.640 were born in Russia or the Soviet Union at the time, 0:05:54.040 --> 0:05:57.400 and you moved right did you move right when the 0:05:57.400 --> 0:06:01.440 Soviet Union fell? So I was um, I was two 0:06:01.440 --> 0:06:04.800 and a half years old, so very very young. I 0:06:04.880 --> 0:06:10.480 don't I don't remember obviously those years growing up there. 0:06:10.640 --> 0:06:14.359 But you know, growing up as the only child, and 0:06:14.400 --> 0:06:17.680 my mom's the only child, and we have a very close, 0:06:17.960 --> 0:06:20.800 you know, tight knit family, and so growing up we 0:06:21.279 --> 0:06:23.800 pretty much every summer we would go back to I 0:06:23.839 --> 0:06:29.719 have four great grandparents up until basically they all forgot 0:06:29.760 --> 0:06:32.360 to watch me on TV. But when I go when 0:06:32.400 --> 0:06:34.640 the gold medal, and so that was like really special 0:06:34.680 --> 0:06:36.240 and so being able to go back and kind of 0:06:36.279 --> 0:06:39.400 like show them my medals. So yeah, I think we 0:06:39.600 --> 0:06:42.640 just it was very normal for me. It was part 0:06:42.680 --> 0:06:45.960 of who I was and it and it still is obviously, 0:06:46.360 --> 0:06:48.719 and you know, obviously we haven't been back in a 0:06:48.760 --> 0:06:51.400 little bit, but two and a half years old, like 0:06:51.520 --> 0:06:56.240 I grew up here, like you know, for me, English 0:06:56.680 --> 0:06:59.599 essentially was my first language. For my parents, it was 0:06:59.640 --> 0:07:03.320 not right. I can speak Russian, but I have like 0:07:03.400 --> 0:07:06.039 an accent when I speak in Russian as opposed to 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:10.200 the opposite. Right, right, right? Why did they Why did 0:07:10.280 --> 0:07:12.680 they leave? And let me just say for context for 0:07:12.720 --> 0:07:16.920 people who don't know, these are high level gymnasts in 0:07:16.960 --> 0:07:22.640 the Soviet Union, competing obviously celebrated there. Why did they 0:07:22.640 --> 0:07:25.800 make the decision to come to the United States? First 0:07:25.800 --> 0:07:28.760 New Orleans and then eventually Dallas make a Marty grab 0:07:28.840 --> 0:07:32.640 by the way, oh yeah, And they were just like 0:07:32.760 --> 0:07:35.760 no English, no money, just like an infant, and they 0:07:35.760 --> 0:07:37.520 had no idea what they were doing. And they were 0:07:37.560 --> 0:07:39.240 just like, oh god, did we just make the biggest 0:07:39.240 --> 0:07:43.920 mistake of our life. Yes, moving to New Orleans a 0:07:43.920 --> 0:07:46.000 week of Martyr grad that is that is a that 0:07:46.080 --> 0:07:48.920 is a mistake. But yes, they had no idea. Yeah, 0:07:49.000 --> 0:07:53.560 and so basically exactly as you said, like they were heroes. 0:07:53.680 --> 0:07:57.240 My dad won for Olympic medals for some union, and 0:07:57.280 --> 0:08:00.440 my mom was a rhythmic gymnast and world champion, and 0:08:00.440 --> 0:08:04.040 and you know, their goal, their next goal was to 0:08:04.840 --> 0:08:08.200 coach their own athletes to becoming world an Olympic champion gymnasts. 0:08:08.200 --> 0:08:11.040 They never ever imagine or wanted it to be their 0:08:11.080 --> 0:08:15.720 own daughter. But they also you know, they wanted to 0:08:15.760 --> 0:08:19.120 build their own business and they wanted and that wasn't 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:22.400 like that wasn't something you could do then and probably 0:08:22.400 --> 0:08:25.440 even now, I don't I don't know because like we've 0:08:25.600 --> 0:08:28.000 not obviously thought about that or even gone down that 0:08:28.120 --> 0:08:30.960 route in a for thirty years whatever. So that was 0:08:31.040 --> 0:08:32.959 part of it. And then the other half of it 0:08:33.040 --> 0:08:37.040 was to give me the best possible life that they 0:08:37.080 --> 0:08:40.880 thought that they could possibly give me, and they felt 0:08:41.160 --> 0:08:44.199 that that was going to be in the United States. 0:08:44.600 --> 0:08:47.280 Not knowing obviously, you know, they were taking a risk. 0:08:47.360 --> 0:08:50.240 They were taking a chance, as as every single person 0:08:50.320 --> 0:08:53.760 does when you move halfway across the world. But again, 0:08:53.800 --> 0:08:57.160 they had nothing. They literally didn't even have a savings account. 0:08:57.160 --> 0:09:01.280 They had pennies. And you know, I think the older 0:09:01.320 --> 0:09:05.640 I get, the more you realize, like, holy shit, that's 0:09:05.920 --> 0:09:10.280 what they did, like just not eat, like going to 0:09:10.400 --> 0:09:14.600 the bank to ask for a loan, like without even 0:09:14.600 --> 0:09:17.520 speaking the language. Like you know, like I can't even 0:09:17.559 --> 0:09:21.439 imagine our process, and like, yes, it's like my parents, 0:09:21.440 --> 0:09:23.360 So I like, you know, I'm a little bit more biased, 0:09:23.400 --> 0:09:25.520 but still like when I take when I remove myself 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:29.280 from that situation and think like putting myself in that 0:09:29.400 --> 0:09:31.520 and like going to another country and trying to do that, 0:09:31.640 --> 0:09:36.120 it's crazy to think that. But they had this dream 0:09:36.160 --> 0:09:39.640 and and they wanted it so badly, and so you 0:09:39.679 --> 0:09:44.360 know what I have realized, obviously much later on in life, 0:09:44.360 --> 0:09:47.400 my dad and I are the same person. And so 0:09:47.480 --> 0:09:50.720 it's like, don't you dare tell us we can't do something, 0:09:50.760 --> 0:09:53.000 because then we will like make sure we do it 0:09:53.040 --> 0:09:58.319 plus more. And yeah, and I think like they just 0:09:58.520 --> 0:10:02.720 were so passionate about the sport and they wanted to 0:10:02.760 --> 0:10:06.480 give back to you know, the next generation into you know, 0:10:06.520 --> 0:10:09.880 gymnastics is such an interesting sport like you can't once 0:10:09.920 --> 0:10:12.320 you're done, you're done. Like it's not like you can 0:10:12.400 --> 0:10:15.160 like jump in the nothing against any other sport. But 0:10:15.200 --> 0:10:16.760 it's not like you can jump in the pool and 0:10:16.840 --> 0:10:19.160 just leisurely you know, like yeah, you're not gonna be 0:10:19.200 --> 0:10:21.480 going to your Olympic speed. But like gymnastics, you can't 0:10:21.480 --> 0:10:24.040 just get on the beam and do your Olympic beam 0:10:24.080 --> 0:10:30.520 routine like ever again. And so this knowledge essentially is built, 0:10:30.800 --> 0:10:34.240 you know, for over twenty years, and then it's like 0:10:34.800 --> 0:10:37.560 then what do you do with it? You know, if 0:10:37.559 --> 0:10:40.280 you can't carry that on? So yeah, that was kind 0:10:40.280 --> 0:10:45.000 of like that was their purpose, I guess, um, and 0:10:44.920 --> 0:10:47.680 I'd like to think they did a pretty darn good job. 0:10:49.160 --> 0:10:51.440 And so to be clear, their dream was to open 0:10:51.520 --> 0:10:57.959 a world class gymnastics club and to train future Olympic gymnasts. 0:10:58.559 --> 0:11:01.520 Was there and this I apolologize, this is like naive 0:11:02.000 --> 0:11:05.760 or kind of a stupid question potentially, But were they 0:11:06.000 --> 0:11:14.319 able to leave because the wall went down? We actually, yeah, 0:11:14.360 --> 0:11:17.600 we we still have dual citizenship, and um, like it 0:11:17.720 --> 0:11:22.360 was like not like no, we did not escape, We 0:11:22.400 --> 0:11:25.320 did not flee, like and that's why I think like 0:11:25.400 --> 0:11:29.720 we went back every summer up until I was started 0:11:29.720 --> 0:11:32.000 like competing on the national team, and then my competition 0:11:32.000 --> 0:11:34.560 season was in the summer, and then winter there's miserable. 0:11:34.640 --> 0:11:37.200 So it was kind of like, okay, maybe our family 0:11:37.200 --> 0:11:41.559 can come visit us. Um uh so yeah, that's kind 0:11:41.559 --> 0:11:45.640 of what we did. But it was never hard feelings 0:11:45.840 --> 0:11:50.960 or we were always accepted back. Like one of my 0:11:51.120 --> 0:11:57.000 favorite stories is actually from the Olympics, and we were 0:11:57.040 --> 0:11:59.560 in the rotation in the all around finals with you know, 0:12:00.160 --> 0:12:04.000 with the Russian gymnast and her coaches, and obviously we've 0:12:04.000 --> 0:12:06.280 known them, you know for years and years and years, 0:12:06.440 --> 0:12:10.720 and I believe, um, if my stats are correct, but 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:13.520 I believe this was like the first time in history 0:12:13.600 --> 0:12:16.840 that you know, the USSR or Russia did not win 0:12:17.400 --> 0:12:20.680 a medal in like gymnastics at the Olympics. And so 0:12:21.440 --> 0:12:24.320 when I won, I remember like them coming up to 0:12:24.480 --> 0:12:26.959 me and saying like you might be wearing a differently 0:12:26.960 --> 0:12:29.160 it's hard and a different flag, but like we're still 0:12:29.200 --> 0:12:30.920 like proud and you want for us, And I was 0:12:30.960 --> 0:12:35.040 like thanks, because I just want to keep peace with everybody. 0:12:35.120 --> 0:12:39.080 But I have, like, you know, a different red, white 0:12:39.080 --> 0:12:43.719 and blue one right now, right, right, right, that's fascinating 0:12:43.720 --> 0:12:47.920 because I you know, I remember the stories of gymnasts 0:12:48.000 --> 0:12:51.800 having to flee and be you know, escape in the 0:12:51.840 --> 0:12:54.920 middle of the night on a boat. Yeah, right, to 0:12:54.960 --> 0:12:58.880 get out. But that's interesting that at that point you left, 0:12:59.480 --> 0:13:02.320 but that they welcomed you back and had positive things 0:13:02.360 --> 0:13:06.960 to say to you. That's that's very cool. Yeah. Apparently 0:13:07.240 --> 0:13:10.080 your dad joked that the reason he marriage your mom 0:13:10.480 --> 0:13:14.960 was to create the perfect gymnast. Oh my god, that's um. 0:13:15.720 --> 0:13:18.439 First of all, like talking about my parents like that weird, 0:13:18.559 --> 0:13:24.760 but also it's funny because he was obviously into her, 0:13:24.800 --> 0:13:27.120 and my mom was like absolutely not. My mom's taller 0:13:27.120 --> 0:13:30.160 than my dad, and so she was just like no, 0:13:30.960 --> 0:13:33.960 are you kidding? Like, but they all trained together, like 0:13:34.000 --> 0:13:37.680 at the centralized training you know center um outside of Moscow, 0:13:37.880 --> 0:13:42.120 and ended up being my dad's now business partner who 0:13:42.200 --> 0:13:45.080 was like my second dad. He was very close to 0:13:45.120 --> 0:13:47.960 my mom, like as friends, and so he kind of 0:13:48.000 --> 0:13:52.440 like made it happen, which is like makes perfect sense 0:13:52.559 --> 0:13:55.640 because you know, now we're just like literally family. Like 0:13:55.679 --> 0:13:57.440 I've known him since the day I was born, and 0:13:57.520 --> 0:14:00.680 he actually coached in two thousands. Four are one of 0:14:00.679 --> 0:14:03.360 my teammates Carly Patterson. He coached her to win gold. 0:14:03.480 --> 0:14:08.160 So so it's like it was a really cool like moment. 0:14:08.280 --> 0:14:11.120 I guess you could say of like, you know, we 0:14:11.120 --> 0:14:14.720 we went to New Orleans altogether and then you know, 0:14:15.120 --> 0:14:20.080 they literally lived the American dream, like that was what 0:14:20.160 --> 0:14:24.640 they dreamed about doing, was coming to this country and 0:14:24.680 --> 0:14:30.280 the people gave them, slash us this incredible opportunity. And 0:14:30.520 --> 0:14:32.400 not to speak on behalf of them, but I know, 0:14:32.720 --> 0:14:34.440 you know, we all feel this way. But it's like 0:14:34.440 --> 0:14:36.960 when you sit down and you take a moment and 0:14:37.000 --> 0:14:40.400 you think and like this is really cool. They moved 0:14:40.400 --> 0:14:44.120 to a country and they didn't speak a language, and 0:14:44.480 --> 0:14:47.680 they were not guaranteed anything. They were not guaranteed success. 0:14:47.720 --> 0:14:51.280 Like they built Fish Jim. It was a grocery store. 0:14:51.520 --> 0:14:54.320 They literally built it with their own hands because they 0:14:54.360 --> 0:14:56.880 didn't have money and couldn't at the time, couldn't afford 0:14:57.520 --> 0:15:00.600 any employees or you know, any construction worker or anything. 0:15:00.760 --> 0:15:04.360 So I think, like that to me is like I 0:15:04.520 --> 0:15:07.520 always take myself back to that because it's like nothing 0:15:08.080 --> 0:15:11.000 real at the core is handed to you. You have 0:15:11.080 --> 0:15:15.560 to work your butt off. And yeah they did. Ye. 0:15:16.880 --> 0:15:18.560 I mean I joked that they wanted to create the 0:15:18.600 --> 0:15:22.800 perfect gymnast, but allegedly they really they wanted to train 0:15:22.920 --> 0:15:26.480 Olympic gymnast, but but not not me, not you. So 0:15:26.640 --> 0:15:30.480 why not you? First off, why not you? They didn't 0:15:30.480 --> 0:15:35.480 want that for you. Two things, the pressure like I'm 0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:39.080 the only child and your mom is a rhythmic world 0:15:39.160 --> 0:15:42.680 champion gymnast, your dad is an Olympic and like you're 0:15:42.720 --> 0:15:45.080 doing it, so it's like you better win or else, 0:15:45.440 --> 0:15:48.560 you know, I never felt I never felt that way ever, 0:15:48.800 --> 0:15:52.160 Like I literally thought it was the coolest thing in 0:15:52.200 --> 0:15:55.840 the world that my parents did what I wanted to do. 0:15:56.000 --> 0:15:58.920 I wanted to grow up to be just like them, 0:15:59.000 --> 0:16:02.280 And so for me it was more like, Wow, I 0:16:02.360 --> 0:16:06.480 have like the biggest greatest mentors right in front of me, 0:16:06.600 --> 0:16:09.440 and not only do I you know, can I talk 0:16:09.480 --> 0:16:11.840 to them, can I ask some questions whatever, But they're 0:16:11.840 --> 0:16:15.000 also guiding me and coaching me to that you know, 0:16:15.120 --> 0:16:17.520 if if I want that, that's what they would do. 0:16:17.880 --> 0:16:21.160 And then I think the other thing was just as 0:16:21.240 --> 0:16:25.560 the only child, they wanted you want everything to be 0:16:25.640 --> 0:16:28.560 easy and perfect and for them to be happy, Like 0:16:28.640 --> 0:16:32.600 that's what they wanted for me. But they also really 0:16:32.680 --> 0:16:36.720 really instilled like the importance of finding something that you're 0:16:36.760 --> 0:16:39.400 passionate about and finding something that you love. And for 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:42.040 me right away that was domestics. And they were like 0:16:42.480 --> 0:16:47.440 really like you godn't find something else. And my mom 0:16:47.560 --> 0:16:49.840 was My mom tried so hard. She took me to 0:16:49.920 --> 0:16:53.280 piano lessons every week and I would try every single 0:16:53.320 --> 0:16:55.560 time and I was like, I'm not going back, and yeah, 0:16:55.680 --> 0:16:58.920 it was just not for me. And you know, it 0:16:59.040 --> 0:17:03.920 was always like a mutual understanding that we're going to 0:17:04.040 --> 0:17:06.520 help you the best way that we can if that's 0:17:06.520 --> 0:17:09.439 what you want, Like we we already did it. We 0:17:09.480 --> 0:17:11.520 don't want this, you know, like we don't need it 0:17:11.640 --> 0:17:15.040 for ourselves, like this is for you. So I know 0:17:15.160 --> 0:17:18.160 it's hard for people to like grasp and understand that, 0:17:18.359 --> 0:17:20.920 especially like you know, we see them all the time, 0:17:21.000 --> 0:17:24.240 but stage parents or whatever you want to and yeah, 0:17:24.280 --> 0:17:27.879 they were the complete opposite. Well, this to me kind 0:17:27.880 --> 0:17:32.680 of proves it. You started with other coaches, right and 0:17:32.760 --> 0:17:36.480 not them, And now was this because they were trying 0:17:36.560 --> 0:17:39.480 to let you go your own path to start to 0:17:39.520 --> 0:17:43.080 find out if they were trying to push me away, 0:17:43.119 --> 0:17:45.440 like they were just like trying to turn their head 0:17:45.480 --> 0:17:49.080 a little bit in the gym and like pretend I 0:17:49.600 --> 0:17:53.280 wasn't you know, I wasn't good because obviously I also 0:17:53.359 --> 0:17:56.800 had some good genes and a god given talent. And 0:17:56.840 --> 0:18:01.560 they immediately kind of said, well, we can't take that 0:18:01.600 --> 0:18:05.160 away from her, like that wouldn't be fair. So they 0:18:05.160 --> 0:18:08.200 were like, okay, just like go have fun, go play, 0:18:08.280 --> 0:18:11.679 like go to your classes or whatever. And I was 0:18:11.760 --> 0:18:15.439 there all day unless I was like at school, and 0:18:15.480 --> 0:18:18.320 so I would start just trying to copy and mimic 0:18:19.040 --> 0:18:21.680 the older girl like what my parents were teaching them. 0:18:21.960 --> 0:18:26.879 And they noticed on the side I was doing it 0:18:26.960 --> 0:18:30.160 better myself without a coach like then, like and they 0:18:30.160 --> 0:18:33.080 were just like, okay, we have no choice. And what 0:18:33.240 --> 0:18:36.880 happened was and this is like such a fluke mistake. 0:18:37.560 --> 0:18:40.119 I slipped, like my hand on the bar with a 0:18:40.160 --> 0:18:43.679 different coach who by the way, still with us, you know, 0:18:43.760 --> 0:18:46.440 still at the gym, like like I love him so much, 0:18:46.480 --> 0:18:49.359 but I got a black eye because like I like 0:18:49.480 --> 0:18:52.720 hit my my base on the bar. And my dad 0:18:53.440 --> 0:18:57.680 had nothing to do with him. It was more a dad, 0:18:58.280 --> 0:19:01.000 you know, the dad instinct coming out, and he said 0:19:01.560 --> 0:19:04.840 that's it, Like, if you're going to do gymnastics, I'm 0:19:04.880 --> 0:19:07.800 going to be your coach only because not because I 0:19:07.880 --> 0:19:11.160 know better or I am better, but because I want 0:19:11.280 --> 0:19:13.800 like your safety in the sense like to be in 0:19:13.800 --> 0:19:17.120 my control, you know. Yeah, And that was it, like literally, 0:19:17.160 --> 0:19:18.919 and I was like okay, like I mean, I was, 0:19:19.480 --> 0:19:22.840 I don't know, gosh, like eight nine years eight nine 0:19:22.880 --> 0:19:26.480 years old, you know. And also it was to spend 0:19:26.480 --> 0:19:29.360 more time together, to be completely honest, I was going 0:19:29.400 --> 0:19:33.720 to public school. They were working twelve fourteen hour days 0:19:34.119 --> 0:19:36.640 at the time I was going to sleep. My dad 0:19:36.720 --> 0:19:38.880 was still at the gym, you know, wrapping things up, 0:19:38.920 --> 0:19:43.479 And so it became our bonding kind of like moment. 0:19:43.640 --> 0:19:49.320 And to achieve like your lifelong dream at the time, 0:19:49.440 --> 0:19:53.640 lifelong with one of your best friends essentially, like I 0:19:53.720 --> 0:19:57.200 literally wanted to be just like him. I idolized him. 0:19:57.280 --> 0:20:01.479 I respect Like, yes, my teenager years were you know, 0:20:01.600 --> 0:20:05.440 a little little little tough when when you have two 0:20:05.480 --> 0:20:09.560 stubborn perfectionist I guess you could say, but I don't 0:20:10.080 --> 0:20:14.479 regret a single moment, like deep down, it was you know, 0:20:14.560 --> 0:20:16.960 at the end of the day. And he says this 0:20:17.119 --> 0:20:21.200 still to his athletes. Now, gymnastics is such a short 0:20:21.880 --> 0:20:24.960 portion of your life. You have the rest of your 0:20:25.000 --> 0:20:28.280 life to live, taking care of your body and safety 0:20:28.320 --> 0:20:31.520 and all of that. He says, I don't want you 0:20:31.600 --> 0:20:33.960 to be, you know, feeling like you can't even like 0:20:34.359 --> 0:20:36.119 God willing you have kids. One day you can't go 0:20:36.160 --> 0:20:38.639 play with your kids because this hurts or that hurts. 0:20:38.640 --> 0:20:41.399 And and it was the same with education. You know, 0:20:41.520 --> 0:20:46.240 he just instilled the importance of getting a degree. And 0:20:46.520 --> 0:20:50.160 you know, you never know how far your gymnastics will 0:20:50.200 --> 0:20:51.920 take you about an education will stick with you for 0:20:51.920 --> 0:20:54.440 the rest of your life. So it was the life 0:20:54.560 --> 0:20:58.240 lessons I think too that he taught me. But also 0:20:58.400 --> 0:21:03.440 the sport as well. I have said many times as 0:21:03.680 --> 0:21:06.600 I know that you know, I'm a big sports fan 0:21:06.960 --> 0:21:11.400 and have had the opportunity to attend a lot of events. 0:21:11.720 --> 0:21:18.040 Football is my love. Baseball, basketball, hockey my greatest sports. 0:21:18.080 --> 0:21:20.040 And I'm bringing it up now because this is about 0:21:20.080 --> 0:21:23.760 in the timeline that we're talking that I ever witnessed was. 0:21:23.840 --> 0:21:28.040 I'm from Atlanta and I saw the Olympics in nine 0:21:29.800 --> 0:21:32.720 and was sitting right at the end of the vault 0:21:33.359 --> 0:21:39.280 when Carrie Struggle. I was there. I was there. I 0:21:39.480 --> 0:21:45.600 watched it. I saw her ankle. It looked like snap 0:21:45.680 --> 0:21:50.680 into I felt the crowd everyone saw it was the 0:21:50.840 --> 0:21:55.280 craziest thing I've ever seen. And then yeah, and then 0:21:55.320 --> 0:21:58.800 to see her her landed. Now at this point you're 0:21:58.840 --> 0:22:02.760 obviously younger, but you're watching it your fowing. That was 0:22:03.480 --> 0:22:07.639 the first Olympics for me that I was glued to 0:22:07.680 --> 0:22:12.600 the TV every night, Like I remember being like I 0:22:12.640 --> 0:22:16.359 want to do that, you know, like look how cool 0:22:16.440 --> 0:22:19.280 that looks. They're walking into Georgia Dome and and you 0:22:19.320 --> 0:22:23.320 know the little American flags every like people are chanting USA. 0:22:23.840 --> 0:22:27.240 And that was for some reason, like I still get 0:22:27.320 --> 0:22:29.800 kind of like goose bumps now thinking about it, because 0:22:29.840 --> 0:22:32.880 it was you could feel it, and maybe I didn't. 0:22:32.920 --> 0:22:36.160 I don't think I necessarily understood it then. I mean 0:22:36.200 --> 0:22:43.520 I was seven years old, but you almost feel everything 0:22:44.040 --> 0:22:48.760 has come to that moment, your whole your whole entire life. 0:22:49.080 --> 0:22:51.720 That's right that it feels like that way in gymnastics, 0:22:51.840 --> 0:22:57.040 right like because it's so next year, you don't get 0:22:57.040 --> 0:22:59.840 it next year, you know. And again nothing against I 0:23:00.000 --> 0:23:02.159 have so much respect for all athletes, all sports, but 0:23:02.200 --> 0:23:05.200 it's like you didn't make the super Bowl. Try again, 0:23:05.960 --> 0:23:08.399 you know, and again nothing nothing against it, but it 0:23:09.560 --> 0:23:13.800 I remember standing in front of the beam the all 0:23:13.840 --> 0:23:16.720 around finals at the Olympics, four inches wide, looking down 0:23:16.920 --> 0:23:20.120 the beam, looking to my right, seeing my dad. And 0:23:20.560 --> 0:23:22.920 he always does the same thing when he's like super nervous. 0:23:22.920 --> 0:23:25.719 He like does this with the shirt like for no reason. 0:23:25.800 --> 0:23:29.439 That's like his like nervous kind of like tick and yeah. 0:23:29.480 --> 0:23:32.240 And I was just like, okay, well, everything is normal. 0:23:32.359 --> 0:23:34.720 He's doing that, Like I'm like, the beam is still 0:23:34.720 --> 0:23:38.480 four inches wide. And I kind of did for a 0:23:38.520 --> 0:23:41.320 split second what like everyone says, like not to do. 0:23:41.440 --> 0:23:45.439 But in my head, I remember thinking, literally, this is 0:23:45.480 --> 0:23:49.000 a once in a lifetime opportunity. You are never going 0:23:49.119 --> 0:23:53.160 to be halfway through the all around finals in the lead, 0:23:53.520 --> 0:23:58.400 going to win, like your life could change forever if 0:23:58.440 --> 0:24:02.879 you just don't fall off. And and then I was like, 0:24:02.920 --> 0:24:05.040 oh god, oh god, oh god. I'm like, snap out 0:24:05.080 --> 0:24:09.280 of it, snap out of it. And you consciously thought yes, 0:24:10.000 --> 0:24:17.959 and again I know that, and I I literally anytime 0:24:18.000 --> 0:24:20.800 anyone asks for advice or a little kids, I'm like, Okay, 0:24:21.080 --> 0:24:23.720 don't think what you don't like want to happen. You 0:24:23.760 --> 0:24:25.920 have to think what you you know you're gonna stay 0:24:25.920 --> 0:24:27.920 on me if you're gonna say you're smell and here 0:24:27.960 --> 0:24:31.679 I am like in that moment, I remember, and and 0:24:31.760 --> 0:24:35.560 no matter what, like no matter where you looked, because 0:24:35.600 --> 0:24:38.880 what I try to do was treated like any other competition, 0:24:38.920 --> 0:24:41.640 even though it's not like it's a once in a life. 0:24:41.800 --> 0:24:45.960 But those five Olympic rings are everywhere, like the toilet, 0:24:46.359 --> 0:24:49.800 the chalk bucket, you know, it's everything. So I would 0:24:49.840 --> 0:24:52.280 be like, oh, look there, maybe like you'll forget that 0:24:52.320 --> 0:24:56.560 you're at the Olympic Game. And it was impossible and 0:24:57.240 --> 0:25:02.240 and I think, to be completely honest, obviously the physical 0:25:02.760 --> 0:25:08.360 training my dad was, it was truly a master mind planner. 0:25:08.840 --> 0:25:16.560 He planned sixty five days so back backtrack basically, so 0:25:16.760 --> 0:25:20.760 August fifteen I won, So three sixty five days up 0:25:20.840 --> 0:25:23.120 until that moment to peak and have the best day 0:25:23.119 --> 0:25:26.879 of my life on that day. That wasn't luck, That 0:25:27.119 --> 0:25:30.080 wasn't by chance. That was all you know, It was 0:25:30.119 --> 0:25:35.000 all planned. And I think physically I knew I was 0:25:35.480 --> 0:25:38.199 the most repaired I had ever been in my entire life. 0:25:38.240 --> 0:25:41.880 But it and and so was everybody else, And so 0:25:42.040 --> 0:25:45.120 it is now a mental game. It is who can 0:25:45.240 --> 0:25:47.960