Cydney Crasa - George Washington Gymnastics

These Quotes were adapted from an Interview with Cydney Crasa and Untold Athletes.

My mom's side of the family grew up doing gymnastics. My mom and two aunts went to college and did gymnastics then later opened a gym that was a gymnastics school. Growing up, I lived in the gym. Literally while I was in the womb, my mom was coaching so they kind of poured their life into the sport and that trickled down to me. I didn’t really have a choice but I loved it. Gymnastics was in my DNA.

I'm always someone who was very driven and very competitive. I knew I was going to be an athlete in college, and in order to do that, I knew I had to be fully committed. Having family that had been through it really helped. They always had my best interest at heart when they were coaching me, even though the dynamic was different. I would say that we worked really well together, and that fostered a really good experience for me.

I always had people saying, “Okay, well she's the coach's daughter so there’s favoritism,” but I think it pushed me to work even harder. I had to work to get what I wanted, and nothing was going to come easily.

 Sophomore year I committed to GW, and then I tore my ACL going into my junior year right before our regionals and nationals. I was at my peak. I was competing really big skills, and then, the practice before Nationals, I tore my ACL and my meniscus. I'd never faced that kind of adversity before. I’d never even broken a pinky toe. Coming back from injury, I built so much resilience. I started to really think ‘Okay why am I coming back?’ I think the injury really lit a fire in me and made me think ‘I have to come back. I’m not going to let this be something that takes me down.’ 

Being on SportCenter’s Top 10 was probably the pinnacle of my career. It was so cool. We were at LSU for regionals and we had won on day one. I was literally about to go to bed to get ready for the next days’ meet, when I got a DM from an old baseball player from GW. He said, ‘Hey, I just saw you on SportsCenter!’ At first I thought he was joking, or that he was talking about the team, but then he was like, “No, it was just you!” It was late so I texted my family to stay up and watch it, because I needed to rest. I woke up the next morning to so many texts and videos. It was so cool.

 My coach texted me and said that she and people at the University were really proud. I had such an overwhelming sense of support. I love pressure and I loved the adrenaline I had that day. I think that using that pressure and adrenaline in a way that benefits you is the best thing you can do as an athlete.

Before COVID shortened our season, we were a team to watch. We were gaining momentum, so having that ripped away was not ideal, but we knew that the decision was for good reason. When the announcement was made, we had a team meeting immediately and just kind of talked about the season and how we were really lucky to have had our senior meet, even if we hadn’t been able to finish the season. We all just decided to look towards the next thing, and I’m grateful I had something to look forward to. 

 I think this last year has definitely changed my mentality. Every practice is now like my competition. When we do a practice set, I treat it like a meet. I’ll salute and everything. All I know is that I'm not going to have this in X amount of months, and I got a taste of what that was like. I want to go out and know that I gave it my all and had fun with my teammates. 

 Throughout quarantine, I think we (my teammates and I) have all relied on each other a lot. We still had team meetings. We’ve remained really motivated in the classroom. We’ve found other ways to try to keep that competitive edge so that when we get the chance to compete again, we're going to be at the starting line, ready to go.

 I would describe my teammates as brilliant. I have teammates studying engineering, biology, exercise science, and more. Everybody does something different, and they all are so motivated inside and outside the gym. I’m lucky to be with a really good group of girls. I’d be curious to hear, but I think my teammates would describe me as energetic, loud in the gym, strong minded, and very focused. If I’m going after something I’m going to get it. That’s how I’ve always approached life.

 I would tell my younger self that it’s all worth it. Honestly, when you're young, you don't realize that the sacrifices you're making are going to pay off. I didn't go to the Proms. I didn’t go to all the dances and parties people had. Those sacrifices have absolutely been worth it. They’ve made up for themselves and given me overwhelmingly awesome experiences in college. Even the injuries - you’ll find positives in the injuries and the setbacks. You’re going to be really, really happy with yourself, so project positivity. 

 It’s all worth it and I can't wait to compete again, whenever that is.