Richella Velarmino, a sophomore from Bonney Lake, Washington, is a member of the Whitewater gymnastics team. As a member of the team last year, she posted the second best uneven bar score in Whitewater program history with a 9.825 and had a season average of 9.286 while also competing in the beam and floor. 

How did you get into gymnastics? 

I started gymnastics when I was three years old in those ‘Mommy & Me’ classes, but didn’t start competing until I was seven. My mom loved watching figure skating and gymnastics growing up, so I grew up watching it as well. One day we were watching gymnastics and I pointed to the TV and told her that I wanted to do “mystatics” (gymnastics), and then she signed me up and I’ve been doing it ever since! 

What is your favorite memory so far doing gymnastics at Whitewater? 

Obviously, hitting a routine that I’ve been working so hard for is the most rewarding, but hearing my teammates cheering for me, feeling their support up on an event, and seeing their excited reactions once I hit is the best feeling in the world. 

What are some goals you have set for yourself this year and how can you achieve them? 

This year’s goals are to be the best gymnast I can be and to help the team as much as I can. This can be achieved by taking care of myself (mentally and physically), trusting in my training, coming in the gym with a positive, ready-to-work attitude, focusing on quality over quantity, being behind each and every one of my teammates, making sure we’re the loudest and most obnoxious team, and honestly, taking in every moment and having the time of my life with these girls! 

What made you want to come to Whitewater? 

I fell in love with the team, their family atmosphere, and their team chemistry. Coming from so far away, I was nervous about being far from my family and adapting to the environment, but these girls were so welcoming, and it immediately felt like my home away from home.  

Do you feel that Whitewater does a good job of supporting their female athletes? 

I do. I feel like we are all taken care of, and our teams get many benefits. I also like how advertised our events are, how our accomplishments are celebrated, and how supportive everyone is, even the professors. 

What is your go to pre-competition or post-competition meal? 

It’s not always the same, but for travel meets, I always make sure to have a big breakfast. Coach Jen loves to feed us, so we always get a nice variety to choose from. As a tradition, we eat at Jessica’s for breakfast (sometimes lunch) before every home meet, and my go-to every time without fail is: Combo for Mom, with Oreo pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, and bbq sauce on the side.   

If you could only bring three things to an island what would they be and why? 

My mom, my dad, and my siblings (I’ll count them as one thing). My mom has a new hobby every week and loves to shop on Amazon. She can shop for camping and backpacking things one day and shop for outdoor cookware or emergency kits another day. I’ve been told I have a magical backpack filled with anything anyone could ever need, so if that’s the case, my mom is 100x more prepared. Besides bringing the whole house inside her travel bag and being prepared 110% of the time, she also is the best cook, so it’s safe to say I won’t starve. My dad is pretty handy and has the best eye sight out of all of us, so I would trust him to make our makeshift little hut and work with any technologies to help us get off the island. Although he can freak out a bit for a few minutes, my mom can calm him down, and they work pretty well as a team. And for my siblings, they’re there for moral support and entertainment. My younger sister will always keep us on our toes. She walks to the beat of her own drum and always has an optimistic attitude. Plus she’s very entertaining and is never fazed by anything. And even though my brother is the youngest, he is definitely the most logical. He is a perfectionist and always likes things to be orderly. So, even though he is only 7, I would trust him with responsible tasks. Plus, he will be there to contradict any of his sister’s nonsense. 

The gymnastics team is off to a nice 4-0 start to the season including a close recent meet against UW-Stout with a narrow score of 189.550-189.75. Make sure you catch Velermao and the team in action by attending one of the meets this year. For more information on when they are in action you can check out the schedule.