Alumni Spotlight: Sarah Cain
3/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
March 18, 2015
If there was a Mount Rushmore for the University of Michigan women's gymnastics team, Sarah Cain (1997-2000) would most certainly be on it. She remains one of the most accomplished gymnasts in the history of the program, helping Michigan to four NCAA Championships appearances -- including three Super Sixes -- and three Big Ten titles. Individually, she was a two-time Big Ten Gymnast of the Year (1997, 2000), the 1997 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the 2000 University of Michigan Female Athlete of the Year. In terms of accolades, she was a 12-time NCAA All-American (the third-most honors by a single gymnast in program history), a seven-time NCAA Regional champion and six-time Big Ten champion.
Cain graduated in 2000 with a degree in organizational studies, but she never left Ann Arbor. She worked in pharmaceutical sales with Eli Lilly for five years before starting her own business, Dinner Thyme, in nearby Canton. It was an easy-meal prep business where meals would be prepared, packaged and frozen. After that, she started a photography business with one of her friends before returning to U-M as a volunteer assistant coach prior to the 2014 season.
She lives in Ann Arbor with her fiancé, Sean, and their three children: Jake (eight), Kellan (six) and Scarlett (five).
Q. Being a Nebraska native, it's a little surprising that you didn't end up going to school in your home state, given how strong they are with gymnastics. What about Michigan made it so attractive?
A. I liked the idea of going away from home. I visited four schools and Nebraska was one of them. But coming here, it was the team, the school and the academics. At this point, Michigan had more success than Nebraska. Beth Wymer had just finished her career a year or two before and they had made some Super Sixes and won a few Big Ten titles. That was before Nebraska joined the Big Ten, obviously, so it wasn't like comparing one Big Ten team to another.
Q. Ironically, the best meet of your career came against Nebraska during your freshman season when you scored 39.825 in the all-around. What do you remember about that meet?
A. It's really difficult to remember that meet, actually. To be able to do that well against the team from my home state was very nice. My best friend, Courtney, came into town to watch. I remember having a good routine on balance beam. I think I got a 10.0.
Q. What was the most difficult environment you ever competed in?
A. I'd have to say Georgia. They were really good and always beat us, but they've beaten a lot of teams over the years. They always came in one place higher than us, so going down to Athens and coming away with a win was always tough. These girls did it in their first meet of the season, which is an incredible achievement. I don't think a lot of them realized how big that is. Georgia always had incredible crowds. They would pack that arena to the rafters. It was an intimidating atmosphere.
Q. Conversely, is there any meet that still stands out to you above all the rest?
A. My junior year at the NCAA Championships in 1999. It was at Utah, which is where we just came back from a few weeks back. It was a pretty similar atmosphere this year than it was then. That year, Utah didn't make the Super Six. We finished second behind Georgia. That meet, above anything else, stands out most.
Q. In the 15 years since you graduated, how do you think the sport has changed?
A. Just going off what I've seen the past few years, the talent level has increased across the board. A lot of schools that maybe weren't as good 15 years ago are quite a bit better now. The top-six competitors for those teams are all pretty clean, consistent and performing at a high level. I think hit percentage, too. I don't remember being that consistent or hitting as many routines as they do now. From a skills standpoint, there's a lot of explosive gymnastics out there. The tumbling on floor, I think, is much different.
Q. You were coached by Bev Plocki and Scott Sherman and now you're coaching alongside them both as a volunteer assistant. What has that been like?
A. They both were. I've learned a ton on the coaching side as opposed to being on the athlete side. It's been really great. I've known Bev and Scott for 20 years now. Scott was a freshman when I was a freshman. I've known him since junior high on up. He was in the same region and came to Michigan at the same time. He is one of the best technical coaches I've ever worked with. He can do amazing things with a bar routine. He really can. For the girls that don't have the best bars routines, you can come into Michigan and leave a Big Ten champion or NCAA All-American. He's very technically sound. With Bev, her personality is the same, but it's neat to see this side of her. How she connects with the athletes and runs the show, it's given me more of an appreciation about what she does, way more now than when I was an athlete. You go through the motions then, but now you can see how it all fits together.
Q. When you walk into the gym, we can usually find you over by the balance beam. Why?
A. That's what I wanted to do when I initially talked to Bev about coming in and volunteering. Of all the events, this is the one that I enjoy working on the most and working with the girls on. It was one of my favorite events to compete, but ironically, it was the only one that I was never an NCAA All-American on.
Q. The Big Ten Championships are coming up later this week. You won three team titles and six individual titles during your four years. What's the secret to having success at that meet, especially when it's at home?
A. Every Big Ten championship we won was a special moment and an accomplishment that all Michigan teams take very seriously and are very proud of. Having a successful meet is accomplished one routine at a time, staying focused on the team and competing like the ladies have done all season. Their hard work throughout the regular season in competition and practice has helped prepare them for a successful meet. Having the meet at home provides comfort and excitement knowing our fans are present and supporting us throughout the competition.
Q. Finally, what did your student-athlete experience at the University of Michigan mean to you?
A. That it's an honor to be a student and an athlete at this university. I've lived here for nearly 20 years. I love this town, love the people and love the university. The biggest thing it taught me is how to adapt and persevere. When you come in, you're thrown into a lot of situations, some of which aren't ideal. You learn to work through things. The people at Michigan helped with that tremendously.
The Office of Alumni Engagement strives to foster a community, recognize the holistic student-athlete and honor the great Michigan Athletics history. This alumni spotlight illustrates the impact that our alumni are having around the world and how they stay engaged with Michigan.
