Seven-time NCAA All-American Jessie DeZiel has had an oustanding campaign for Nebraska and is already well accomplished heading into her senior season. She has consistently competed all-around for the Huskers and helped lead the team to a historic Super Six this past year. She is one of the top gymnasts in the nation and finished eight all-around in the NCAA Championships. 

As a club gymnast, DeZiel was an international elite who trained at Twin City Twisters. She represented USA at the 2011 Pan American Games where she helped the team win gold. She also posted the highest vault score of the entire competition with a 15.125. As a level 10 gymnast, she qualified to JO Nationals five times and won the JO National title twice, in 2010 and 2011.

In this week's segment of Friday Focus, we asked DeZiel a few questions about life in and out of the gym. 



What is your favorite memory as a gymnast, so far?

My favorite memory as a gymnast is getting the opportunity to compete at the Visa Championships as well as make team USA and compete in the Pan American games. That is a memory that will always be with me. As a collegiate gymnast I would say my favorite memory was making super six last year (2014). 

 

If you weren’t doing gymnastics, what would you be doing? 

I have thought about this before and I can’t think of anything I would do as gymnastics has been such a huge part of my life, I can’t imagine my life without gymnastics. But I would say that I really do like watching volleyball and if I could play any other sport it would be volleyball.

 

Have you ever done anything embarrassing in competition?

There was this one time when I was in club and we were in California at a meet and I didn’t feel well at all and had a headache and a very stuffy nose. I was on beam and doing my routine for the judges and it was a pretty good routine and I went to do my 2 ½ dismount and boogers flew out of my nose and I could feel it. I wasn’t sure where they landed but I when I saluted the judge I saw it on the mat. I saluted and smiled and turned around to go over by my teammates and coaches and they were all smiling at me and then I started laughing and I went to blow my nose. Before I went to blow my nose I was watching one of my wonderful coaches, Mike Hunger, cleaning it up. It was probably one of the most embarrassing things that has ever happened to me and that is also something I will never forget.

 

How do you spend your time when you have a day off from practice?

When I have days off from practice and it is summer and nice outside I will spend my time outside doing something fun such as laying by the pool or going to the lake. In the winter and when it is cold outside I usually do something inside such as homework or watch some movies or football with my roommates.

 

What is your ideal, pre-competition meal?

If it is a meet that is in the afternoon I will have a bigger breakfast and if it is later that night I would just have a sandwich for lunch. If the competition is the next night I will have a good dinner the night before such as salmon, rice, and some veggies. I am not really too specific with what I eat before competitions as long as the food is good!

 

Describe your pre-competition routine. 

I don’t really do anything too specific before competitions. I love getting ready for competitions and I feel like it takes me all day as I get up and start and do little things throughout the entire day until competition. 

 

How would you describe your personality?

I would describe my personality as someone who works hard and wants to achieve big things and can get very serious and frustrated when something is not going well. I would consider myself as a perfectionist.

 

In ten years, where do you see yourself and what will you be doing?

I see myself as a college gymnastics coach, I am not sure where I will be but hopefully that is what I am doing.

 

If you made a life bucket list, what would be your number one activity to accomplish?

Travel the world

 

What’s the #1 most played song on your iPod?

This changes for me a lot as I get sick of hearing the same song for too long.

 

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?

If I won the lottery I would probably donate some money to a charity and then I would also give my family members some.

 

What motivates you to work hard in and out of the gym?

My biggest motivation is my family, when I compete I like to compete for people to make it more meaningful and I usually go out there and try to make my family proud. Also wanting to win and seeing myself standing on the lower half of the podium wanting to get to the top.

 

What is your proudest accomplishment?

One of my proudest accomplishments is going to the Pan American games and scoring the highest vault score in the whole competition.

 

Besides gymnastics, what is your favorite sport to watch/play?

I would love to play volleyball if I didn’t do gymnastics and I also like watching it. I also like watching football and playing it.

 

What song would you sing at Karaoke night?

Jessie’s Girl

 

Do you have nicknames? If so, what are they?

I don’t have a lot of nicknames but the most common one is Jess. When I was a club gymnast I used to have more and the main name I got called in club was Betty.

 

Are you an introvert or extrovert?

I am more of an introvert. I like being by myself a lot of the time and I feel like I am very independent.

 

Are you related or distantly related to anyone famous?

I wish

 

On a scale of 1-10 how funny would you say you are? 

I would probably say a 7 or 8

 

Who is your best friend and how did you meet?

My best friend is Hanna Nordquist, she is a gymnast at the University of Minnesota. I was teammates with her when I was like 5 years old and we went through all the levels in gymnastics together and experienced a lot of different things together growing up. We went the same school, drove to practice together every day, and still to this day she is the person that is closest to me and is always there for me. 


Related:
Video: DeZiel Scores a 9.95 on Vault
Video: DeZiel's Bar Set from NCAA Podium Training
Video: DeZiel's 9.9 Beam Routine 
Video: DeZiel on Floor
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