By Romy Schwaiger
Randii Wyrick was just 2 years old when she started gymnastics. “My grandparents put me in the sport,” she says.
And, she has stayed with it ever since.
Today, she practices 25 hours every week, with competitions every other weekend.
“It just feels so good that the hard work pays off,” the 18-year-old says of her 16 years in the sport, taking pride in the unique skill set required to excel in the sport of gymnastics.
Randii was just 10 years old when she made it to Level 10, making 2012 her seventh year in Level 10. “Gymnastics just came naturally to me,” she says.
She never had role models in gymnastics, but says her coach, Terry Gray, has had the greatest impact on her gymnastics career.
She says that her biggest accomplishment was probably her last competition when she qualified for the Nastia Liukin Cup at the Lady Luck Invitational in her hometown of Las Vegas: “I had a career-high, and I finally reached the level that I knew I could. I was finally able to show everybody that I can be great.”
She also wants to show this same high level performance at the Nastia Liukin Cup in New York City: “Ultimately, I want to win the Nastia Liukin Cup because I know that I have the capability to do so.”
Before competitions, she likes to get ready early and then to just relax, all by herself. She usually listens to music, noting that she has recently lost her iPod.
In her spare time, she is an editor for her high school’s yearbook, and she will be graduating this spring. In the fall, she will be attending Louisiana State University on a full-ride scholarship. “I committed to LSU because it’s a great school, the academic support is just amazing, and they also have some other great sports programs.”