NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Freshman Christy
Erickson followed family tradition and is now a Bruin.
By Eli Karon
Daily Bruin Contributor
Christy Erickson does not know life without gymnastics. Her
parents enrolled her and her older sister Susie in a local gym when
the girls were just two and six years old, respectively. Gymnastics
has been Erickson’s life since before she could spell balance
beam.
“I don’t know what it’s like to not do
gymnastics,” the UCLA freshman said.
While most children were still chewing on rubber teething rings,
Erickson was growing up in the gym. Naturally, she looked up to her
older sister to improve her technique, mechanics and athleticism
throughout her gymnastics career.
Apparently, where there is an older sister motivating one to
succeed, there is a way. Susie Erickson, who is now getting her
masters degree in environmental studies at UC Santa Barbara,
attended UCLA and competed on the 1997 National Championship team.
The All-American was awarded the Guiding Light Award for her
consistency on the balance beam. Perhaps this impressive feat had
an influence on Christy’s college decision.
“I think Christy saw the success that Susie had
here,” Bruins gymnastics coach Valorie Kondos Field said.
During her junior and senior years of high school, Christy made
up her mind to attend Arizona State. However, after talking to
Kondos Field, Erickson reconsidered her decision.
“Every one of our student athletes are as important to us
as anyone else,” Kondos Field said.
At the last minute, Christy made Bruin gymnastics a family
tradition and committed to UCLA.
The decision was not an easy one. The UCLA freshman had
scholarship offers from numerous colleges, and was eventually
forced to choose between walking onto the best gymnastics school in
the nation or being on scholarship at a lower-caliber school.
Luckily for UCLA, the chance to compete for the defending national
champions and carry out the family tradition won her over.
“I kind of wanted to follow in (Susie’s)
footsteps,” the Pomona native said.
The transition hasn’t been an easy one, especially for the
coaches.
“It’s funny,” Erickson said. “For the
first couple weeks that I was here all three of my coaches kept
calling me Susie.”
Erickson prides herself on working hard in the gym and
feels fortunate to have the talent to compete at the collegiate
level.
How good is she?
You would never know from asking the humble, mild-mannered
Erickson.
“I don’t feel like I’m better than anyone else
could be,” she said.
According to teammate Jeanette Antolin, it is Christy’s
hard work that sets her aside.
“She’s a motivator,” Antolin said. “She
works really hard in the gym.”
At first, Erickson did feel a little overwhelmed walking on at
the storied UCLA program. Then again, when competing on the same
team as four Olympians, who wouldn’t?
Due to the extremely high level of competition within the UCLA
program, Erickson sees herself mostly as a role player throughout
the year. The excellent supporting cast allows her to feel more
like a backup, though she trains as if she could be in the lineup
any given day. According to coach Kondos Field, she isn’t far
off.
“I’m very excited,” Kondos Field said.
“I would love to see her blossom as a leader. She has the
Erickson inner-strength. When they commit to doing something you
know without question that they will succeed.”
In addition to being on the best gymnastics team in the country,
Erickson is majoring in biology at one of the nation’s top
academic institutions. This provides an additional challenge to an
athlete learning to balance school and gymnastics.
Surprisingly, Erickson’s plans for the future do not
include gymnastics. She intends to complete her schooling and earn
an advanced degree.
Funny.
Sounds kind of like her sister…