Being in the Olympics is the dream of athletes of all ages, all around the world. Recently, I talked to Will Horenziak, a SHS athlete who hopes to compete professionally. Will has likely been practicing gymnastics before anyone else was even potty trained; when he was two, his mom threw him in the sport because of his obvious interest. Since then, he has accumulated numerous accolades, including fourth in the nation and first in the Midwest on events like floor exercise, pommel horse, steel rings, vault, parallel bar, and horizontal bar. Horenziak answered a few questions about his journey with gymnastics:
Q: Could you tell me about your journey with gymnastics?
A: I started in toddler classes when I was two years old because I was climbing things in my house and breaking things, and my mom was a gymnast back when she was younger, so she put me in gymnastics. I did the younger toddler classes for a couple years and then I joined the competitive team when I was six, and then after that I started with level 4 and moved up a level every year. Then, when I was nine or ten [years old], I also started to do the elite program and [put] extra hours in. So now I am at level 10, which is the highest you can get, and [I am] competing [with] the best people in Junior Olympics. I train like 23-ish hours a week.
Q: What does a typical day look like for you?
A: After [going to school], I go home at 1 and work for an hour and leave my house at 2:40. Then [I] train at the gym from 3-7 [p.m. and on]Saturday [or] Sunday 9-1 [a.m.] and then I go home, eat, shower, finish my homework, then go to bed.
Q: What does your day look like during a gymnastics competition?
A: On competition day, it requires a hotel stay. I’ll wake up, eat breakfast, and mentally prepare myself; I do a lot [of] mental imagery on comp days. I see the routines in my head and it helps me be more confident. Then I’ll usually show up to the meet an hour early, look at the equipment. Then, my team will get there and we will compete.
Q: Have you won any awards or received any recognition? If so, what are they?
A: Most recently I won the all-around at Regionals, which is basically the Midwest championships. My team also won best team at that. I [also] qualified for U.S. classics, [and] all of the best gymnasts are at that meet, like Simone Biles. I unfortunately broke my finger [during] warm-ups, but the experience was amazing. I also [placed] fourth in the nation two years ago which is probably my biggest accomplishment.
Q: Do you plan to pursue gymnastics after high school? If so, what would that look like?
A: When I was little, that was the goal; it was a lot of people’s goals. [I’m] trying to earn a spot on a college team right now so I can compete for colleges. So that’s the goal right now, and maybe [doing] a few professional-style meets—not to win or make the Olympics, but for the experience.
