"It's not what happens to you, It's what you do next" - Trinity Thomas shares how collegiate gymnastics has provided fresh perspective
Trinity Thomas is a four-time national team member for USA in gymnastics events. She is a star gymnast at the collegiate level as well and represents the University of Florida in the NCAA Championships.
In a recent interview, Thomas has spoken about how college-level gymnastics has given her a fresh perspective as she prepares for Olympic qualification.
In an interview with the Olympics' official website in May, Trinity Thomas said:
"I think now I have grown into this young woman that knows life is not going to be perfect. It's not what happens to you, it's what you do next."
Trinity Thomas committed to compete for the University of Florida when she was 17 years old, as per the aforementioned source. Back in 2021, she announced her retirement from elite-level gymnastics due to injuries and stated that she will continue competing for the University of Florida. Thomas has become one of the most successful gymnasts in NCAA history.
On July 1, she announced that she will try to qualify for Team USA and compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In 2022, the American gymnast claimed the NCAA all-around title, uneven bars title, and became the floor exercise champion as well. And she carried on her consistent performance into 2023 as well.
Thomas tied the NCAA record for the most 10.0 scores by an individual gymnast, as per the Olympics' official website. She credited college gymnastics for helping her grow in confidence.
"Confidence I feel like is a skill that you have to constantly work on, just like most other skills. I wasn't the most confident when I came into the collegiate scene. College gymnastics has helped me grow my confidence significantly and I'm so thankful for that. I'm not the same little girl that started here."
The artistic gymnast claimed that Team USA is one of the hardest teams to get into.
"It's definitely not a walk in the park and the odds are not necessarily great and that’s okay. I'm not really worried about the thing at the end of the tunnel. I'm just worried about doing it one step-at-a-time and building on the foundation that I have now."
On her chances of making the team, Trinity Thomas said:
"I'm really too focused on, 'Oh, am I going to make the team?' That's gonna happen or it's not gonna happen at the end of the day. All I can focus on is what I do to try to get there."
Success is more important than any title for Trinity Thomas
During her interview with the Olympics' official website, Thomas claimed that success is more important for her than any title or score. The gymnast also added that she was successful for many other reasons than the championships and 10.0 scores.
"Success is so much more than any title, any score, and I'm successful for many reasons other than the 10.0 record or a national championship or an SEC championship. I've been successful at being a good teammate and picking myself up when I'm down and being able to move forward on the hard days."
She suffered an injury to her lower leg during the NCAA Championships in April. As per the aforementioned source, Trinity Thomas has recovered from the injury and plans to start full-fledged training in the fall and is also focused on the November US National Team camp.
Her main goal going forward would be getting selected to represent Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.