Jade Wiggins: Uses Inspiration from Dad to Put Things in Perspective
Thursday, January 26, 2012 | Gymnastics
By Mara Rudolph, UF Communications
C-A-N I?
This is the question that sophomore gymnast Jade Wiggins lives by. It stands for “Constant And Never-ending Improvement,” a mantra that she applies to everything from her gymnastics skills to her homework.
“Each day, you want to improve on your skill set. Each meet, you want to improve from maybe a 9.825 to a 9.85,” she said. “Every single day, you see what you can improve on and change to make yourself the best you can be.”
Wiggins said she takes her gym skills very seriously, spending two or more hours on the balance beam until she can hit her routines multiple times in a row. The same focus applies to her schoolwork and writing papers, where she often finds herself staring at the computer screen until she gets a sentence exactly correct.
“I want everything to be perfected and achieved to my highest potential. With grades, I want to get the best I can,” she said. “If I don't have that sentence right, I can't move on. I'll just sit at the computer, stuck looking at the screen.”
But as a self-proclaimed perfectionist, Wiggins said her diligence can sometimes get the best of her. That's where C-A-N I comes in. The saying came from Wiggins' father, who made her a card to put in her locker as inspiration.
“I'm hard on myself. Sometimes I get so down that I just stay stuck,” she said. “He made that for me to remind me that I'm a hard worker and a great gymnast, and I have to be confident with what I do so I can accomplish anything. It really has pushed me.”
That push has been especially useful in the past few months as Wiggins rehabs from a pre-season injury. During the fall, she tore the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in her right elbow and the top of her forearm became inflamed.
“I caught my bail on the uneven bars and my elbow kind of hyper-extended. It cracked and went limp,” Wiggins said. “I was devastated, but I'm trying to work back.”
Since then, Wiggins has been attending therapy twice a week, working with light weights and bands, icing her elbow and getting stem therapy. Though the injury is frustrating, she views the rehab as a chance to strengthen her mentality and focus.
“It was definitely hard going from hardcore routines every single day to just suddenly stopping. It was a huge adjustment for my body and my mentality. At that moment, I was so set and so ready to go, and then I got hurt. Maybe this was an opportunity for my body to heal and for me to rethink things. Right now, it's hard, but I'm going to be on track and ready to go,” she said.
When the time comes and she is ready to go, Wiggins believes her faith and dedication will lead to success.
“When I get that opportunity, I want to show that even though I may not have a certain skill or be a certain person, I'm Jade, and I can prove to you that I can do this,” Wiggins said.
