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Tumblers' Tales: Finding the Fun Again
February 07, 2016 10:30 AM | Gymnastics
NORMAN, Okla. - Sometimes, a detour is needed on the path to destiny.
Such was the case for West Virginia University senior gymnast Audrey Tolbert. A native of Frederick, Maryland, she took a few extra steps in her journey to Morgantown, as she spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons at Ohio State.
A level 10 gymnasts and four-time Junior Olympic National Championships qualifier at Frederick Gymnastics – the same gym that produced former Mountaineer and current student volunteer Mackenzie Myers, as well as freshman Carly Galpin – Tolbert initially believed her destiny was as a Buckeye. Outside factors soon swayed those thoughts.
“I had a lot of injuries in club gymnastics, but nothing really set me back,” Tolbert explained. “When I started out in college gymnastics, I realized there were bigger expectations for conditioning and the sport was harder on my body than I expected. It took a toll on me. I developed issues with my ankles and got really sick. Also, being away from home was really hard. There were a lot of issues that kept me from competing and practicing at my best.”
Tolbert did compete at OSU right away, seeing time in 11 meets as a freshman in 2013 and scoring a career-high 9.775 on floor at the Big Ten Championships. Yet, as the first year rolled into the next, she saw less and less time in the lineups, only competing on vault and floor in four meets in 2014.
Something had to change.
“There were a lot of mental roadblocks in my way,” she said. “I had to learn the hard way. I had to learn how to get through stress, which was hard because I get very stressed out very easily. I had to learn how to be by myself, too. Moving away from home was harder than I expected. Initially, I wanted to get as far away from home as possible, but once I was by myself, I learned just how much I relied on my parents (Barry and Margaret Tolbert) and my club coaches. I didn’t realize I relied so much on others, so when I was in college, I had to learn how to rely on supporters – I didn’t expect to have to do that. I never asked for help before; it was always there.
“I had to learn that there were so many people that wanted to help me, support me and get me through everything I was struggling with – all I had to do was ask.”
Back home at Frederick Gymnastics during winter break of her sophomore season, Tolbert had an epiphany.
“I was just goofing around and having so much fun,” the interior design major explained. “I started to remember that college gymnastics was supposed to be fun, like the reward for all the hard work you put in over the years. I wasn’t seeing that reward. I wasn’t enjoying gymnastics.”
As she continued to train at her club gym over that fateful winter break, Tolbert recognized just how happy Myers was, back from WVU after a fun freshman fall semester.
“Mackenzie couldn’t wait to get back to Morgantown, and all I wanted to do was stay home,” she said. “WVU was the first school I thought of as I began to have fun with gymnastics again. I knew I needed to get the fun back.”
Following the 2014 season, Tolbert made the move to WVU. She immediately switched tracks in the gym, moving away from the power events like vault and floor and focusing instead on the uneven bars and balance beam. After months of training, she earned a lineup spot in both events on Feb. 22, 2015, to mixed results. She competed on bars just once more as a junior.
“I hadn’t trained bars or beam in so long,” she explained. “I had considered those my best events in club gymnastics, and I missed them. I had a lot of catching up to do, and I think it took a toll on my confidence. I wanted to compete, but I felt like maybe there was a reason I didn’t train those events in my first two years of college gymnastics. And if there was a reason, why did WVU think I could suddenly compete them again?”
Weighed down by doubts, Tolbert took her frustrations out in Cary Gym, putting in hours of practice. She believes the extra repetitions, as well as the confidence boosts she received from coach Jason Butts and his staff, helped mold her into a completely different gymnast.
“The coaches noticed that my confidence was low, and they made it a point to encourage me,” she said. “Even if I was having a tough day, they always encouraged me and showed me the positives. They never focused on the negatives, and I wasn’t used to that mindset. I now focus on the positives and what I am improving on instead of all the things that hold me back.”
With a changed mindset and a new tank of confidence, Tolbert has burst onto the scene as a Mountaineer senior. An integral member of WVU’s bars and beam lineups, she has competed in all four meets and nearly tripled her point total from 2015. In fact, she set a career high on beam just two meets into the year, scoring 9.775 in the team’s win over No. 18 New Hampshire on Jan. 17.
“This summer, I decided that since this was my final year of gymnastics, it was time for me to dictate how the year was going to go,” Tolbert explained. “The coaches were encouraging me. I knew they wanted to make this my best year. There’s a senior mentality within this program – you want to go out doing your best gymnastics. I knew I had nothing to lose this year.”
Armed with a new sense of sureness, Tolbert often reflects on her early college years and wishes she knew then what she knows now.
“As a freshman, everything seems like it’s the end of the world, and I know that’s not the case now,” she said. “I think it’s my responsibility to teach that lesson to our six freshmen and help them through their tough times.”
Tolbert now fully believes she was always destined to be a Mountaineer. Though it took her a few extra years to find her path to Morgantown, she knows she’s home now because she’s having fun again.
“I think I have finally grown into the gymnast I always wanted to be in college,” she added. “I’m really happy.”
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