Bridgette Caquatto equaled her collegiate uneven bars best of 9.95 last week to win the event at Missouri.
Bridgette Caquatto reflects on long gymnastics career
Thursday, February 25, 2016 | Gymnastics
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By: Ashley Milchman, UF Athletics Communications
On most days, the palm trees lining the O'Connell Center wouldn't catch the average student's eye.
But believe it or not, those sunshine state staples are one of reasons Bridgette Caquatto chose to attend the University of Florida.
However, as Caquatto made her official visit to Florida, she was drawn in by more than the trees. The Gator Gymnasts had something Caquatto wasn't used to.
"The girls were hilarious," Caquatto said, "They goofed around all the time, and I hadn't seen anything like that in a really long time". Bridgette (left) with her older sister, Mackenzie, celebrate Florida's 2013 NCAA Championship. The sisters competed on Florida's 2013 and 2014 NCAA title teams. Caquatto had been competing on the elite circuit since 2007, and worked her way up to the U.S. Junior National Team in 2009. During that season Caquatto was assigned a mentor as part of the program. That gymnast was 2008 Olympic silver medalist, Bridget Sloan.
The following year, Caquatto would move in the ranks to the U.S. Senior National team alongside someone she always look up to. Another member of the 2010 U.S. Senior National team was none other than Bridgette's older sister, Mackenzie.
The trio would soon be sharing a gym once again three years later, as Sloan and Bridgette began their freshman year at UF, and as Mackenzie began her junior year as a Gator gymnast.
Caquatto says her first two years hold some of her most favorite memories, because she shares them with her sister. Her favorite moments include both sisters competing in UF's first NCAA gymnastics title, and Bridgette competing on the same floor as her sister during Mackenzie's senior night.
"(Mackenzie's) been my role model my whole entire life," Bridgette said, "I knew exactly what she stood for in this sport and just how much she loved this sport."
After Mackenzie graduated in 2014, Bridgette looked to fill the leadership void left by her sister.
"I tried to latch onto Mackenzie's love for the sport and do my own thing in the gym, but also have a part of her keep going through me. I know she is a great example for a lot of athletes on the team."
Bridgette is the first and last Gator to perform for each home meet, as she traditionally leads off vault and anchors the floor lineup. That chance to soak in the O'Connell Center environment is something she enjoys.
"Being the last one on floor is pretty exciting, especially when we're at home and it's the actually last routine of the night," Bridgette said. "The crowd usually gives it their all on the last routine and that's pretty cool to experience that. Sometimes you can't even hear your floor music when they're screaming or gator chomping along with you."
Caquatto has been finding her groove in the anchor slot. Bouts with illness tapped her usual power early in the season. She hopes that is now behind her, scoring a 9.925 on floor against Alabama. Last Friday at Missouri, she had season-bests for vault and uneven bars, with her winning bars mark of 9.95 equaling her collegiate-best for the seventh time.
As Bridgette steps into the final stretch of her senior season, she's had time to reflect on the qualities she will carry over from the gym to her future career.
"Gymnastics has taught me a lot," Bridgette said. "It's taught me how to be coachable going into the work field and it's taught me how to thrive in stressful situations, which can be very beneficial."
Bridgette says time management and working as a team are her two major takeaways.
With an applied physiology and kinesiology major and a business minor, Bridgette will graduate from UF in August. Bridgette then sees herself going to physician's assistant school.
As for Bridgette's dream job? It's to be a physician's assistant at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
But before she can start making her way there, Bridgette wants to enjoy something she's missed out on over the years: Family vacations.
She says her parents and sister are excited to take some well-deserved, long, luxurious vacations. "We haven't had a family vacation in a long time," Bridgette said. "That'll be a good change."
As for the legacy Bridgette wants to leave, it's all about positivity.
"I've always said that I just want to be a positive role model and example," Bridgette said. "I want to be missed once I'm gone."
