Get to know Alina Cartwright, a senior gymnast on the Michigan State gymnastics team and your Impact Athlete of the Month.
Cartwright’s career-high scores are 9.95 on vault, 9.90 on bars and 9.875 on beam. Earlier this month, she just traveled to Iowa to compete at NCAA Regionals, where the Spartans finished in fourth place.
Impact Sports’ reporter Julie Angell sat down with Cartwright and learned more about this month’s student-athlete.
What is your favorite in-season memory?
[su_quote]“When we went to Alaska for spring break – that was awesome. There was one time we went to Colorado Springs and that was awesome. We got to climb rocks and nobody died. We got stuck in New Jersey for two days because of snow. Because of the team chemistry we still had a great time.”[/su_quote]
How do you celebrate after a really good meet?
[su_quote]“Food. I love going to get food. We go to my apartment and have a good time. You just stuff your face full of burgers ‘cause you don’t have to be in a leotard anymore.”[/su_quote]
What are you usually thinking about right before an event?
[su_quote]“I’m praying and thanking God for every opportunity that he’s giving me and revising my routine in my head. But mainly praying.”[/su_quote]
What do you do in your off time?
[su_quote]“I love going to the movies on Tuesdays. We go as a team and maybe go with another sport, so it’ll be a huge group of us. Over the weekends, all the girls come to my apartment and we always have a great time.”[/su_quote]
What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?
[su_quote]“I did a vault and as I landed, I peed my pants. Our bladders are weak. You hit the perfect spot you’ll just leak.”[/su_quote]
If your life was a movie, who would play you?
[su_quote]“Zoe Saldana. She’s been in those cool action movies. She’s kind of like a ninja. I feel like she’s really sassy.”[/su_quote]
If you could do any other sport at MSU what would it be?
[su_quote]“I would love to play volleyball. I suck at it, but I’m that really into-it-person that yells at you if you don’t get the ball. Volleyball is so fun to me.”[/su_quote]
What’s your dream job after graduation?
[su_quote]“I would love to work with athletics. I don’t care what conference or pros with videography. Make commercials, highlights for Super Bowl…I just found out I love doing that this year.”[/su_quote]
Photo: Jonathan Yales/MSU Impact Sports