When he’s not busy working hard in his classes or chilling with his friends, Senior Chris Turner can be found in a gym perfecting his routines. This year, he’s ranked third in the 16-18 age group for United States gymnastics. He is currently getting ready for next year’s college gymnastics at Stanford, where he has already been accepted.  

Smoke Signal: So what was your most recent gymnastics camp or competition?

Chris Turner: I was in Colorado Springs for an Olympic training camp where the top seven US gymnasts in each age group competed against gymnasts from Canada and Germany. 

SS: What do you think is your best event?

CT: Probably the pommel horse. But it’s normally a gymnast’s worst event, so I’m sometimes really good and sometimes not.  It’s unpredictable. Parallel bars is another event that I’m pretty good at.  

SS: How did you get into gymnastics?

CT: I started doing gymnastics in the August before third grade when I was about seven or eight years old. I always liked to climb up stuff and do handstands, and my mom heard about a free trial at this place called “Top Flight,” so I went for a day and the coach said I had some potential and he wanted me on the team. 

SS: What’s your future for gymnastics?

CT: I’ll try to do well in college, and after that, I guess we’ll see. It’d be super cool to go to the Olympics, but I would have to apply and live at the Olympic training center for a few years, so I’m not sure. 

SS: How does gym affect your school work?

CT: It’s tough because for the first one and a half months of school, I haven’t gone to a full week of class. I have to admit I’m kinda… confused… in a few of my classes (laughs). But you kinda have to deal. I still procrastinate sometimes, but after pulling an all-nighter at my last tournament because I had procrastinated, I learned my lesson. 

SS: Have you ever wanted to quit gymnastics?

CT: There’s been a few times, actually. Every once in a while, I’ll go through a slump, where I can’t really learn anything or do what I normally can, and I just feel like crap. 

SS: How do you move past those “slumps”?

CT: I just keep going, every day, and hope things get better. I’ll finally get one skill back and think, “If I can do that, I can do the rest,” and I push forward. I have to think positively. 

SS: Do you have any pre-competition rituals?

CT: Before competitions, I usually don’t talk to people a lot. I just try to get into the zone. When people talk to me, I’m like, “Mehhh, I don’t want to talk to you.” I sort of just stare at the bars, the pommel horse, etc. and try to picture myself on them. I just… look at them.  

SS: Do you bring anything with you for luck?

CT: I used to carry around a doorknob (laughs). I found this doorknob in fifth grade and somehow it ended up in my gym bag, so everytime I went to a competition I would be like, “Okay, I got my grips, I got my wristbands… where’s my doorknob?” Even my parents would ask me, “Do you have your doorknob?” before competitions. I actually haven’t seen it recently… I need to go find that doorknob! ?