I think that to be a competitive athlete, you have to be goal-oriented.

So if you think being thin is enough to succeed in gymnastics, you're wrong.

There are parents, siblings, teachers and friends, but counting on them to motivate you isn't fair. They've all got their own lives, and while the may be able to help you out, if you can motivate yourself, then you're golden.

I was always athletic and I could do a lot of things

If you want to take it up a step and aim to become a competitive gymnast, you have to be mentally strong and prepared to take on the workload of going to the gym every day, rain or shine.

Floor exercise, the longest you run is two or three steps. In the vault, it's not a whole lot more than that.

Other people may not have had high expectations for me... but I had high expectations for myself.