Sixth Year Special Opportunity for Maranda Smith
Thursday, February 17, 2011 | Gymnastics
It was the meet against Utah. Maranda Smith donned her orange and blue leotard and did her hair and makeup, sparkling from head to toe in Gator spirit. She had done it dozens of times before, but tonight was different. It was Senior Night. Her last regular-season home meet in the O'Connell Center. In just a couple of months, she would be graduating with her anthropology degree. It was time to finish her collegiate gymnastics career.
She heard the signal, and Smith and the rest of the gymnastics team sprinted through the giant inflatable Gator head tunnel as the crowd went wild.
“That's one of my favorite parts of the whole meet. It's just so fun,” she said. “That's when it really hit me. I had to close that book and open another one.”
It was the last night that the gymnast who had twice been awarded the team's “Gator Heart and Soul” award thought she would perform in a Florida dual meet in front of her home crowd.
“Time to move on. Time to be a real big girl now,” Smith told herself.
So after the season ended, she packed her stuff and went home to Placerville, Calif., to start her “big girl” life. She moved back with her parents, signed up for a fitness gym membership and found a job teaching gymnastics at her old gym. Without gym or school to worry about, she even got to go on her first family vacation in years.
“For the first time, I didn't have to really rehab from an injury or surgery. I didn't have the mindset of 'I need to come back and I'm still an athlete.' In my mind, I wasn't an athlete anymore. I basically went about my life like I was done with gym,” Smith said. “I was finally just a normal, average person. It was like a little icebreaker into the real world.”
But an icebreaker was all it was, because the book of collegiate gymnastics Smith had thought she closed had really just been bookmarked for the summer. After a whirlwind few years filled with a leg injury followed by major surgery that required a metal rod to be inserted in Smith's tibia, a transfer to a school across the country, her story got even better. The NCAA had granted Smith's request for a sixth year of eligibility.
Still, it wasn't a guarantee that Smith could come back. She had to pass the GRE, figure out what to study and apply and be accepted to UF for grad school within a matter of weeks.
Luckily, everything worked out. Smith is back for her fourth season with the Gators, and soaking up every minute of it.
“This is about just loving every moment. It's just a whole different mindset this year,” she said.
Two other people are loving every moment as well – Smith's parents, Warren and Patty.
“They were sad last year when it was over because they made so many friends, and they just love watching me compete. They get so much joy out of watching me perform because they've seen me do it since I was four. They just enjoy the whole experience,” Smith said. “I would definitely say they consider themselves Gators.
Last season, the Smiths traveled from California to every meet – home and away – to watch their youngest daughter perform in what they thought would be her final season. This year, they're doing the same, save for a couple of meets.
“When I knew I was coming back, my mom was on the computer looking at flights and figuring out what meets to go to. They were excited to be a part of the team and just be here with everyone,” Smith said. “Just having them come to each competition just means the world to me. Not every gymnast is fortunate enough to have parents that can come. I love that and thank them for that. It's great to see them at the meets, and they have my back whether I fall or get a 10. They are always there cheering me on.”
That support echoes from Smith's parents to the entire gymnastics team. As a leader and self-described “mom” of the team, Smith tries to inspire her younger teammates with her passion for the sport.
“No other team I've been a part of has been like this team. I see how great this team is and I want to help us win and do anything it takes,” she said. “This team's potential really excites me and motivates me. When I'm tired or stressed with school or hurting, that's what switches my mind.”
But when the season ends, Smith knows she has to move on. This time she's ready for it. She hopes to work as a physician's assistant or physical therapist, which would require more school after she is done with graduate school this fall. And regardless of what happens, she'll leave this season with no regret.
“It's not as difficult this time knowing that it's coming to an end because I experienced it last year,” she said. “It's been a great, incredible experience and I wouldn't have changed my decision of transferring here or coming back for a sixth year. This year's kind of like icing on the cake.”
By Mara Rudolph, UF Communications
