© Todd Bissonette
Leanne Seitzinger of Stafford, Va., and Novak’s Gymnastics, earned the gold medal in senior women’s tumbling at the Pan American Trampoline and Tumbling Championships, Dec. 6-7, in Argentina. USA Gymnastics talked to Leanne over the holiday break about her successful experience. Here’s what she had to say!
Q: How did it feel to win the gold medal in tumbling?
Leanne: Bringing home the gold medal is always an amazing feeling, but this competition I felt my hard work had really paid off. I had hernia repair surgery in July and had to take two months off from training. Since September, I have been training really hard to improve the difficulty in my passes. I felt very prepared for this competition, so that’s always a good confident boost going into a competition.
Q: What were your passes?
Leanne: For prelims my first pass was: round off. flic, double layout, whip, flic, flic, flic, double pike; and my second pass was: round off, flic, full in pike, whip, flic, flic flic, full in tuck. In finals, my first pass was: round off, flic, double layout, whip, flic, flic, flic, full in tuck; and my second pass was: round off, flic, full in pike, whip, flic, flic, flic, double pike.
Q: What was the best part of your trip?
Leanne: The best part about the trip was winning of course, but I loved seeing all my teammates and getting caught up with them and just hanging out.
Q: Did you get to do anything other than gymnastics while in Argentina?
Leanne: Not really. I did walk around the city some, mostly to find something to eat. We were pretty busy with training, competing, and cheering each other on. Plus, I had to make sure I got homework done because of finals.
Q: What are your holiday plans?
Leanne: Holidays are always busy with holiday parties, celebrating my birthday (which is five days before Christmas), and visiting some friends while I am on break from school.
Q: What is your favorite holiday memory?
Leanne: I really don’t have a specific favorite holiday memory. I just enjoy spending time with my family and friends.