Girls athlete of the week
The Post-Gazette’s top female performer for the past seven days
Last week: Rexrode won three of the four individual events, as well as the allaround advanced division at the WPIAL gymnastics championships Saturday at Moon.
Check this out: Rexrode, a junior, joined an elite group of athletes, as she became only the fourth gymnast in WPIAL history to win three consecutive titles. The others are Hopewell’s Kelly Burka ( 2010- 12), North Allegheny’s Jamie Davic ( 1993-95) and North Allegheny’s Angie Evans (1986-88).
What was it like winning the WPIAL for the third
time? It honestly felt amazing because I’ve been working hard this season just for that moment. It just feels great that I was able to accomplish it again.
There are so few that have won it three times. What’s it like to be on the short list of three- time champions? It feels like a great accomplishment since not many have done it before. I’m just really proud of everything I’ve done.
Last year, you won while rehabbing an ankle injury. How have you improved from last year to this year? My scores definitely went up this year. I’ve been making my tricks clear and I’ve also upgraded a little bit on certain events.
Who is your favorite gymnast? I like Simone Biles. She’s amazing.
Do you ever watch her and think ‘I want to try that’ and then take a shot at it? I actually never have because some of her tricks are so crazy that I can’t even imagine doing them.
What is a food you have to have even when you’re in training? I just love fruits, like strawberries and grapes, especially when I’m training and before competitions.
How about something not quite as healthy? I like granola and Goldfish.
How much training do you do a week? I practice four days a week, and each practice is three hours. Every practice, we go through every single event, so there’s four events and we work on all four.
What got you into gymnastics? Whenever I was young, I was really crazy and active and I was always flipping around the house, so my mom put me into it hoping that I would like it, and I did.
Because the skills translate, have you ever tried diving? I actually have thought about it because I have one teammate, Annabelle (Herrie), who does it, but I never have.
Who is one person you would like to have dinner with? I’d still have to say Simone Biles. I look up to her so much, and she’s amazing.