Kytra Hunter: Focusing on a lighter approach for final season
Wednesday, February 25, 2015 | Gymnastics
By Eden Otero, UF Communications
When Kytra Hunter runs out during event introductions, she always points up to the roaring crowd.
Under the shining lights and pounding music in the O'Connell Center, Hunter dazzles Florida fans with her energy while hyping up her teammates.
But while Hunter plays it up for the crowd during meet openings, she's less likely to show that same spirit when competing.
Unlike her teammate Bridget Sloan, Hunter is known for leading by example rather than by coaching.
“I think people just see me as a quiet person, especially in the gym. I am quiet, but you can ask any of the girls, I'm pretty crazy,” Hunter said. “You're not going to see me dancing like Bridget, but I'll walk up and talk to the girls and also try to be an example while competing.”
Coach Rhonda Faehn said Hunter's ability to lead by example complements a team with vocal leaders like Sloan.
But in her attempts to lead the Gators through the 2015 season and to another possible national championship she's picked up a new mentality: enjoy the ride while it lasts.
Over the midway point of her final season, Hunter is trying to enjoy every meet and practice she has left.
With four perfect scores on the floor exercise and two on the vault, all of which came in her junior season, Hunter's plan to relax this season has been hard for her.
A perfectionist at gymnastics, Hunter describes herself as an intense and aggressive athlete. Her understanding of that has pushed her to focus in learning to loosen up, something she hasn't done much of in her career at Florida.
“Senior year is all about having fun and relaxing and that's something that I'm not used to,” Hunter said. “My main focus is gymnastics. I mean this is the last time I'll be able to do gymnastics. No question about it.”
And her focus looks sharp for her senior season. Hunter's 39.75 on Feb. 13 is the nation's second-highest all-around total of 2015. She leads UF with 13 event titles this season, including five all-around wins.
As Hunter tries to relax and enjoy her time left, she's also planning for her future after college.
While the food and resource economics major doesn't officially graduate until December of 2015, she is looking for internships during the summer to take up some of her time away from the gym and give her some professional experience.
“My dream job is to be in the business world and working for a corporation,” Hunter said. “It's pretty incredible because being an athlete you do have two different dreams and that's your dreams and your goals as an athlete and then the ones you have outside of athletics.”
