In this ongoing series, FloGymnastics showcases college gymnasts competing in their freshman seasons. This freshman feature highlights Lindsay Chia from Yale. 

Although she has not even completed her first full season at Yale, Chia has already made a huge impact on the program. Her career high on bars is a 9.800, and her career high on beam is a 9.875, both high scores to have as a freshman. Bars and beam are her specialties, and she has placed on those events a number of times this season. She took second place at a meet against Brown on beam, third place on beam at George Washington and third on bars at the Ivy Classic. At the Ivy Classic, she also won beam, scoring her career high and also hitting the third-highest beam score in all of program history. She holds two individual Yale records, along with being a part of scoring the first- and third-highest team beam scores in program history. She was named ECAC Rookie of the Week on Feb. 26 and has been a part of a lineup that has broken a team bar record as well. 

Before college, Chia was a level 10 gymnast in Windsor, Ontario. She trained at Rose City Gymnastics and qualified for Canadian National Championships and Elite Canada five years in a row. She is the 2018 Nadia Comaneci International Invitational Champion and was the recipient of the WESPY Gymnastics Award in 2018 as well. 

At the 2017 Canadian National Championships, she placed fifth in both bar and beam finals. At 2017 Elite Canada she placed sixth on bars, eighth on beam and eighth all-around. She also competed in and won the Nastia Liukin International Invitational in 2017. She helped Team Ontario win gold at the 2016 Canadian National Championships, and the same year, was an International Gymnix Champion. 

Now she is moving onto the NCAA world, and taking it by storm! Chia discussed college life and competing for Yale Gymnastics with FloGymnastics. 

FloGymnastics: What is something unique that you love about Yale?

Lindsay Chia: I love the fact that Yale is a place that combines both academic and athletic excellence in a welcoming and friendly environment. Since it is an elite Ivy League institution, I was initially worried that Yale would be full of cutthroat kids who didn't care for sports, but that is not the case at all. The best part is that varsity athletes are not segregated from the rest of the students as they are at most schools with athletic scholarships, so I am able to meet incredible people from all over the world and from all different backgrounds. 

Flo: What is your major, and what would you like to do with that degree in the future? 

LC: Due to Yale’s interdisciplinary liberal arts program, it does not have any minors nor have its students decide on a major until the end of their second year. I am currently planning on double majoring in economics and political science. I have not thought much about a future career as I am open to switching majors and to different career possibilities, but a job in business or law definitely interests me. 

Flo: How does it feel to go from living in Canada to Connecticut? Is there anything you miss about home?

LC: It wasn't a huge change for me to move from Ontario to New Haven as the weather and culture are very similar. I am also used to being on my own from summer camps, so I wasn't very homesick. There were some differences in words and phrases that make me miss home. I also miss home-cooked meals and being able to find some alone time since college life seems to have me running from place to place without much time to relax. 

Flo: What is your funniest gymnastics story, either from this year or at any point in your gymnastics career?

LC: My funniest gymnastics story was probably the story of the time that I almost quit gymnastics. I was young, probably around 7 or 8, and was up next for my beam routine. I ended up falling a grand total of three times, which was quite the feat considering at that age I only had about five or six skills to begin with. After that performance, I dramatically ran crying to my mom telling her that that was it, I was going to quit. I remember my mom rolling her eyes at me, as she had heard this before, but I was dead serious this time. I was so upset with my performance that when I later received two awards for that meet, I was in absolute shock. After awards, my mom asked me again if I was going to quit, but now my worst beam routine of all time all of a sudden didn't seem so significant, and so that's how I almost quit gymnastics. 

Flo: Where is your favorite place you’ve ever traveled for a meet? Where is one place you’d love to go?

LC: My favorite place that I have traveled for a meet was my latest one to Davis, California. Back in club gymnastics I generally traveled alone with my coaches, so traveling with a team of 20 people to California in the warm heat was so much fun. We were able to wander around San Francisco and lounge by the outdoor pool during our spring break. However, one place that I would love to travel to would be Michigan, because since I live so close to the border near Detroit, a meet there would be akin to a home meet and all of my friends, family and coaches would be able to come watch.

Flo: Do you have any superstitions, rituals or lucky items you do/use before a meet?

LC: I do not have any superstitions at or before a meet, but I am ironically scared of developing one for fear of being unable to perform it before a meet and psyching myself out. Now in college I will generally listen to music to pump myself up before the meet, and our team always has at least one bite of an apple in between warm-ups and the actual competition. 

Flo: What are your goals, both as a team and individually, for the rest of the season?

LC: My individual goal for the rest of season, which for us will likely only be two more meets, ECACs and nationals, is to achieve a new career high on both bars and beam. My goal has always been to improve little by little and scoring even a half a tenth higher would be huge for me. Our team’s goal is to win ECACs once again to bring back the trophy, and to qualify to second day at nationals. 

Flo: What has your favorite meet been so far this season and why?

LC: My favorite meet thus far was our Ivy Classics at Pennsylvania University. It was a big meet for us especially coming in as the reigning Ivy Champions. There was a lot of pressure and energy in the arena which made it even more exciting. Our team was so loud and rowdy I am almost certain that the other teams were getting annoyed, but it was the best feeling screaming for each other and dancing along to each other’s routines. I was the second-to-last performance of the night for our team, and after I nailed my beam, we all knew that we had won, so everyone was already jumping with joy with the knowledge that we were Ivy Champions. Of course, the bus ride back home blasting “We are the Champions” was just the cherry on top. 

Flo: What team bar record did you break this season? How did that feel?

LC: We got a 48.75 team bars total, which was the school’s 10th highest record. It was an amazing feeling at Ivies watching everyone hit their bar routine, especially since bars is one of our weaker events. We were ecstatic with our performance despite a fall we had on the rotation.  

Flo: What is your favorite part about being a Yale gymnast?

LC: My favorite part about being a Yale gymnast is being able to spend time with 18 other amazing girls from such diverse backgrounds but also with such common interests. Our team meshes together so well that we honestly miss each other even after spending a day apart. I love just spending time with my team and we always joke about how we literally look like a bunch of middle-schoolers as we travel in packs everywhere. I couldn't imagine not having a team of girls who will support me through anything, and I know that I can now say that I have 18 friends for life.

Flo: You now hold your team’s first- and third-highest beam records in program history. What are you hoping to do on beam during the rest of your career, and how did it feel to score that 9.875?

LC: I am hoping to continually improve my beam to achieve perfection, hopefully scoring over a 9.9 during the rest of my career. I was a little shocked to have received the 9.875 since my routine did not feel like one my best, but I was thrilled to receive such a high score. Our beam team has the potential to score huge and knowing that we are breaking multiple records in program history just solidifies that.

Flo: What is one fun fact about you, whether it’s related to gymnastics or not?

LC: One fun fact about me is that I have an affinity for learning to count to 10 in new languages. I can currently count in 11 different languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, German, Arabic, Korean and Romanian.