"AGB Says G'day To..." is a short-answer interview conducted with a rising star in the Aussie gym ranks. The questions are designed to let you know a little about their training and competition experiences so you can keep your eye on them in the future.
So without further ado, let me introduce you to the very first interviewee.
AGB SAYS G'DAY TO... BRITTANY BOFFO!
Brittany Boffo is an IDP8 gymnast from Queensland, a quiet achiever with an elegant style, who scored some serious hardware at Nationals last year. You might also remember her as being the Guinness World Record Holder for most 'body skips' completed in one minute. I sincerely thank Brit's mum and QAS coach Vladimir Joura for allowing her to participate.
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AGB: Hello Brittany and thanks so much for taking part. There are people out there excited to hear from you!Tell us a bit about your gymnastics journey so far - Where/why did you start gymnastics?
BB: I started Gym at Murray Bridge in South Australia 2 weeks before my 5th birthday just for fun. I moved to the State Training center in SA while I was still 5. After a few years my family moved to QLD and I am now training at the QAS.
What have been your favourite competitions so far and why?
I have always enjoyed all my competitions but my favourite is probably Victorian States in 2009.
Which is your favourite apparatus to compete on? Which is your least favourite?
My favourite apparatus during training is bars and in comps it is floor. My least favourite is vault.
I do dance/ballet once a week during training but I don't do any other training out of the gym.
How did it feel winning the National IDP8 all-around title last year?
I was very surprised to have won but it was cool. It wasn't only winning that was exciting but the whole experience of being with all the other gymnasts around the country.
How do you keep yourself motivated after a bad training session, or a routine that doesn't go your way?
I like to talk to Tianye [Boorman] to get my focus off the bad skills I have done in that training session. It works too!!!!!! Seriously though, I don't stress over it. I just keep trying until I get it.
What do your friends outside of gymnastics think when they see you do your skills?
They always ask me, "How do you do that?".
Which gymnasts do you admire most and why?
Nastia Liukin is my favourite because she is a really good gymnast and is a great role model. Since I was 5 I always wanted to do the skills Philippe Rizzo could do. I have since learned that girls don't do skills that guys do.
What are your hopes for 2010, and your hopes for the years to come?
In 2010 I want to do well in IDP 10 and hopefully continue on to Juniors. Long term I would like to represent Australia Internationally at world events.
Here are some 'random bits' Brittany would like readers to know...
Dogs are my favourite, especially our maltese cross called Wilson
My favourite food is Dad's pasta
Fave colour is fluro green
I love drawing
I don't like sea food!
Thanks again for your responses, Brittany, and best wishes for the coming year!
11 comments:
Awesome little interview there Mez - I really enjoyed reading it! I'll be keeping my eye out for Britt in the future for sure :) She sounds like she has a great head on her shoudlers and the drive to be great.
Brinds
what a cutie! she sounds like a sweet girl, in addition to being very talented.
I too hope she has a great comp season in 2010. We need some strong up & coming QLDers to take on those powerful Vics & WA gymnasts :D
Which juniors do you guys think will be selected for Pacific Rim? After Emma Collister who is a lock, I'm not sure who really stands out. They all seem to have a similar level of ability.
I think Amelia M has a good chance because she could put up a countable score on floor for the team and make junior EF on beam and floor. Then maybe Georgia Rose for bars and beam? Or maybe Amaya/Shar-Lee/Katie or Ashley Cooney could surprise us.
Also, do you think Zoe Lorenzin and Emma Dennis be ready to trial for this meet or will they just wait till nationals/worlds /commonwealths?
How many Juniors go? Maybe Nicola Chung from WAIS? She is a new addition to the Junior Olympic Squad. There must be a reason why she is there.
"Also, do you think Zoe Lorenzin and Emma Dennis be ready to trial for this meet or will they just wait till nationals/worlds /commonwealths?"
I suppose it depends on how their injuries have healed at the point of trials - i hope they don't rush them just for Pac Rim as there are only 3 seniors selected - would rather see as many as possible fit and healthy for Comm games and worlds selection
It'd be smarter for them to wait til later in the year anyways. Plus I don't know if they'd make the cut when there are only 3 seniors being selected and they have to contend with the likes of Lauren and Larrissa and maybe Georgia and Shona. I could maybe see Emma making it, but it'd be tough and you know Emma never gets picked for anything the poor thing. I'd love to see her be a rockstar in Delhi anyway.
I wouldn't mind seeing Ashley Cooney in the mix, although what else is she good at besides bars? Nicola Chung would be cool to see too.
I think Nikola would need to probably up her d-scores to make it since her BB was 4.0 and FX 4.3 at national clubs. There are a few girls with 4.8+ and 5.0+ on those events. She could be chosen for bars though I suppose. It depends if they go for girls with 1-2 really strong events or rank by AA only.
I don't know if Ashley Cooney could be selected because it seems she wasn't at the last camp and it was compulsory if you want to be on the team.
I would like to see Angela Donald get a look in, she has such beautiful form and toepoint. And Amelia too, she is a gymnast we should be showing off!
I am a big believer in Emma Dennis. She was unlucky to just miss out on a worlds spot in 09, and if it was a team worlds she would have made it.
If she could work her way back to her 08 form between now and October(possibly with a couple of small upgrades on bars and beam like a shaposhnikova-uprise combo or stalder full or something to beef up her start scores) she would be indispensable to the team.
First of all, if she can do her 2/1 Yurchenko they won't be able to say no. Many close competitors are getting 2/1s right now, so they are becoming a necessity for team finals, not a bonus. You really need that 0.5 cushion over the 3/2. That is her major ticket in.
Secondly, she can be put up on any event to deliver a clean, solid routine. That will be crucial should fatigue/injuries eventuate in the worlds/commonwealths double shot.
Thirdly, she will score well internationally. Heck, they are going to love her clean execution, and we all saw how important that is with the scoring in London. She will also benefit from the 10 to 8 skill reduction.
I know she has had a lot of bad luck with injuries but she is still only 17 and I am hopeful she can rise up and show the world her gymnastics because it deserves to be seen. Good luck to her.
Ashley Cooney has been injured and will not trial.
Great idea Mez. Loved reading the interview. Keep these coming.
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