Heiskell Motivated by New Home at Michigan
10/29/2018 1:16:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics, Features
For 13 years, Abby Heiskell trained and competed for the same gym, but now as a freshman on the University of Michigan women's gymnastics team she is motivated by the change in scenery.
"It is different in a good way," said Heiskell. "It is nice having a different perspective on my gymnastics and having girls my age around to motivate me."
Heiskell went from being the oldest girl at Southeastern Gymnastics in Charlotte, North Carolina, the last three years to the youngest on a talented roster looking for its sixth straight Big Ten championship.
Walking into a practice facility with banners from 23 Big Ten championships and four Big Ten regular-season titles can be intimidating, but Heiskell said that pressure is part of the reason she chose Michigan.
"It is a motivating factor to see all the banners," said Heiskell. "You have to live up to that expectation. It is a lot of pressure but good pressure. We are all motivated to work towards that bigger goal and keep the tradition and legacy going."
Earlier this month Heiskell and U-M's five other newcomers watched members of last year's team receive their championship rings and get honored on the field at Michigan Stadium. That day made them hungry for the chance to earn their own ring ceremony.
"Seeing all of them get there rings it was like 'Oh, I wish I had one' but at the same time they worked really hard to get those," said Heiskell. "We know that it is a possibility for us if we put in the same kind of work."
The adjustment has been smooth after spending her entire gymnastics life competing for the same gym. She started in gymnastics when she was five years old after her neighbor saw her jumping on a trampoline.
"I was on my neighbor's trampoline jumping around and her mom called my mom and said that her daughter did gymnastics at Southeastern and that she should put me in it," said Heiskell. "I had to choose between horseback riding and gymnastics, but I am glad I chose gymnastics."
After her eighth grade year, she came to a summer camp at Michigan with some of her club teammates, including current Michigan junior Maggie O'Hara. Heiskell had not thought much about college at the time, but attending camp in Ann Arbor got her thinking more about it.
"I was just going to spend time with friends, but I loved the coaching staff and that led me to start thinking more about the University of Michigan," said Heiskell.
She ended up coming on a visit the following November, and after attending a football game she received an offer from head coach Bev Plocki.
"I said yes right away," said Heiskell. "She encouraged me to talk with my parents first, so I told them this is where I wanted to be and they were supportive of it."
It was comforting for Heiskell knowing that O'Hara was also going to go to school at U-M and that they would be teammates when she got to campus.
Having O'Hara on the team with her at Michigan has helped Heiskell keep "a little piece of home" with her to make the transition a little easier. She is thinking about majoring in movement science and has an interest in pursuing something in the health field.
Players Mentioned
