Gabi Wickman bounced off walls as an energetic child, until she discovered that bouncing off a gym floor could finally tucker her out.
“I took part in a lot of sports like swim team and competitive soccer. Then I found that gymnastics made me the most tired every day,” laughs Gabi.
A local gymnast from Kirkland, Gabi earned three high school state championships in bars and scored a bronze medal at nationals. Her choice of a university came down to one overriding factor: “If I didn’t have gymnastics, where would I be happiest?” Washington was the answer thanks to its outstanding academics, beautiful campus, and wealth of nearby outdoors activities.
After a solid freshman season, she tore her planta fascia (the tissue in the heel of her foot). Then, just before her first meet as a sophomore, Gabi suffered a blow to her dominant arm and was in a cast for five months.
“Once I got comfortable flipping with a cast on, I started training on floor again,” she recalls. “‘I taught myself one-armed tumbling passes. But then going into my junior year, I tore the ligaments in the same arm. Not long after junior year, I tore my meniscus in my knee.”
Those injuries sidelined Gabi for the past two years. She says she’s grateful for the Athletic Department’s medical, training and academic resources that helped her power through her struggles.
“It’s caused a lot of heartache, but I’m a very optimistic and positive person,” she says. “I’ve learned how to face adversity and adapt. I’ve learned that there’s more to me than being a gymnast.”
Head Gymnastics Coach Jen Llewellyn overflows with words of praise for Gabi, calling her “a determined, level-headed, and even-keeled gymnast with an amazing work ethic who gives her best every day. She is a shining example of what a Washington Gym Dawg should be.”
Gabi draws her inspiration from her parents, who grew up in Midwest farming communities, paid their own ways through college, and became the first in their families to earn degrees.
“They put in all this hard work so I could be where I am today. I need to show them that I can make the most of the opportunities they’ve given me,” concludes Gabi, who will graduate this spring from the Foster School with a degree in Information Systems, Business Operations and Supply Chain Management. She already has a job lined up with Adobe.
Finally healthy and excited to compete this season, Gabi reflects on what she’s learned and how it will help her long after she graduates.
“I’ve learned how to perform under pressure. You might get large assignments in your career and learning how to get it done under constrained timeframes is crucial to success.”
