Men's Gymnastics Alumni Update: Scott Vetere ('03)
1/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
Scott Vetere was one of Michigan's finest athletes. The list of accolades he accumulated during his five years in Ann Arbor is among the most impressive ever assembled by a Wolverine gymnast. We caught up with Scott after the recent Michigan gymnastics home meet against Stanford (Jan. 17) to see what he's been up to.
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Date of Birth: 9/4/79
Hometown: Pennsburg, Pa./Quakertown HS
Education: B.A. in Organizational Behavior (2003)
Currently: Living in Ann Arbor, coaching, and training for this summer's Olympic Trials
Michigan Milestones:
10 NCAA All-America citations
2000 Michigan Male Athlete of the Year
2001 Newt Loken Scholarship recipient
2000 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year
Five-time Big Ten champion
1999 Big Ten Freshman of the Year
Member of Michigan's 1999 NCAA championship team
Member of Michigan's 1999 and 2000 Big Ten Conference championship teams
Two-time team captain
U.S. National Team member 1999-2000
Member of the 2003 U.S. World University Games team
Competed internationally for the U.S. in Japan and South Korea
Quick Q & A
Q: You graduated from Michigan in April 2003. What have you been doing since then Since I graduated, I have been working as a gymnastics coach at Michigan Academy of Gymnastics in Westland, Michigan. I coach boys from ages 8 to 13. Also, I have been applying to law schools across the Midwest and East Coast to further my education.
Q: You're still training at Michigan. How is training going and how do you manage to train and work just about full time Training is going pretty well. The problem that I have had in past years with training is that I am constantly getting hurt. However, I have been able to stay healthy for the most part and my gymnastics has gotten better because of that. Work and training at the same time is something that I have had a really hard time getting used to. It used to be that I would go to bed at around midnight or 1:00 a.m. Now, I get home from work at night and I am asleep by 10:30 p.m. So I am more tired at the end of the day, but without a scholarship check each month, it's hard to just train. The rent has to get paid somehow. I also have found that eating healthy has helped maintain such a strenuous schedule. Though I am more tired, it is important to keep your body healthy in order to train at the highest level.
Q: What are your goals for gymnastics and how much longer do you see yourself in the sport My main goal and my ultimate dream is to make the Olympic team. That is why I am still training every day. If I quit gymnastics and never gave it that one last shot then I would regret it for the rest of my life. I don't want to have to ask myself 'What if' I want to go out knowing I gave it my all. Other individual goals are to make the U.S. National Team and potentially win an international medal. I'm not sure how much longer I see myself in the sport. My approach is to take it one day at a time. I believe that I have a lot of gymnastics left in me and mentally I am not ready to give up the sport. It is hard to stop something when your goals are not yet achieved.
Q: What is your most memorable Michigan moment from your gymnastics career My most memorable Michigan moment is winning the national championship in 1999, especially when we were ranked ninth in the preseason poll that year. I always love being the underdog.
Q: What are your plans for the next 4-5 years, gymnastics and otherwise My plans for the next four to five years are to go to law school and hopefully practice law somewhere close to the Ann Arbor area so I can still go in the gym and play around on the equipment. As far as competitive gymnastics goes, we'll see where my body and heart will take me. If Justin Toman has another four years in him then count me in too. I wouldn't be able to train if I didn't have him right there every day pushing me and picking me up when the pommel horse throws me to the ground.
Head Coach Kurt Golder on Vetere
"Scott has had a huge impact on our program. When he came to Michigan we were a pretty weak program. Scott has represented the University of Michigan and the United States of America very well in international competitions. He is a former U.S. Senior National team member and a 10 time All-American. Scott is training for the 2004 Olympic team, which I feel he has a real good shot as a multiple-event gymnast and maybe even more."
Contact: Justin Toman (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
