Wilson Stays Home to Continue Her Story
10/21/2019 3:09:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics, Features
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Gabby Wilson was born in Ann Arbor and lived in Ypsilanti her entire life. Her story continues as a freshman on the University of Michigan women's gymnastics team.
Wilson was extremely familiar with the Michigan gymnastics team, attending camps at U-M every year and attending home meets whenever she could.
"When I was younger, we would come to meets every weekend," said Wilson. "The best memories I have was always being right next to the tunnel when the team came out. I would put my hand down and they would hit my hand. It just felt so special. They were our idols. I didn't know who the Olympians were -- it was the Michigan gymnasts and that was it."
Wilson and her friends would dance in the aisles to the floor music and mimic the gymnasts' routines. She said being on the other side of things now will be surreal.
"It will bring back great memories seeing little girls in their competition leos and sweatshirts," said Wilson. "I was them once, and it's crazy that one day they are going to be us. It's truly amazing that I have the chance to be that inspiration for someone else."
Wilson and her younger sister with the 2008 women's gymnastics team
Wilson comes from a very athletic family and has used her athleticism to her advantage. Her father, Charles, is a member of the Eastern Michigan E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame as a four-time All-American and six-time Mid-American Conference champion for the track and field team. He ran in the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials. Gabby's mother, Althea (Thomas), was a four-time All-American and seven-time Big Ten Conference champion in track and field at Illinois.
Although Gabby never enjoyed running, her parents instilled in her the hard work and necessary nutrition needed to perform at a high level athletically. Her mom always made home-cooked meals and avoided processed foods.
"We were always active when we were little, whether it was going to the park or my dad would use a newspaper and aluminum foil and we would play baseball in the back yard," said Wilson.
Wilson started gymnastics after one of her mom's clients in a hair salon suggested it to her. Wilson joined a local gym at three years old.
Her athletic ability helped her tremendously in the sport, but her favorite part is the creative freedom she has on floor.
"I love having creative freedom in every aspect of life: in school projects, papers, anything," said Wilson. "I love to be able to express myself in different ways. My favorite event is floor because I can unleash my personality a little bit more."
Wilson enjoys coming up with stories for floor routines and was allowed to choreograph some level 7 routines last summer. She even used Garage Band to put some of the music together.
"That was literally the time of my life," she said. "I can't tell you how much fun I had that summer making up routines and sampling music. I came up with all these different stories and characters I wanted them to portray and have fun with it."
Although she didn't come up with the choreography for this year's routine, Wilson is excited to build the story of her routine throughout the fall so that she can put on a show for the fans.
"I really do think that routines can evoke emotion in people," said Wilson. "I love watching people's reactions to routines and their emotions. It has a lot of power when you tell your story with how you move."
Wilson is happy to be able to tell her story in a familiar place, a place she grew up watching other gymnasts tell theirs. The familiarity with the success in competition and the school's high academic reputation was everything she was looking for in a school, and it just so happens it is right down the street.
"I really thought that I could better myself here, not just as a gymnast but also as a person," said Wilson. "I took other visits, but they didn't compare to here, so I said to myself, 'You know what, I think Michigan is the place.' I knew no other place would really compare to it."
Players Mentioned
