Prepared.
That's the feeling
Rachel Gowey carried into her final collegiate season.
The calmness and confidence that comes with knowing the work put in readied Gowey shows out on the competition floor.
Coach
Jenny Rowland has seen Gowey "take her senior year and hit it head-on in a very positive way." Rowland typically sees two types of seniors - one who puts too much pressure on herself but doesn't get the results she hoped for, and one who makes the most of it and has the best season of her life. The latter route is the one Gowey is taking and it's evident in her performances.
Gowey's been a steady contributor to the Gators' success over her collegiate career but she's always looked for ways to give more. This season, she's twice upped her collegiate beam best. The latest reset came last Saturday at Penn State when she earned the long awaited 10.0. Gowey also opened Florida's floor set Saturday with a collegiate-best 9.925. Her performance Saturday made Gowey the
reigning Southeastern Conference Specialist Gymnast of the Week.
Becoming a student-athlete is something that Gowey has loved, but it has come with its own challenges. The three-time U.S. Senior National team member anticipated an easier transition coming from elite gymnastics but found that "[college gymnastics] is definitely a different kind of hard."
She credits lifestyle adjustments she made – including her diet and sleeping habits – to helping her earn three All-America honors as a sophomore.
Gowey has also learned to ask for support and to utilize the available help for student-athletes. Gowey takes advantage of the many resources available to student-athletes at the Hawkins Center. Those resources include tutoring services, which she has taken advantage of in classes like biomechanics, a class that she says is like a foreign language. The three-time Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) Scholar All-American also utilized writing labs, resume building and mock interviews as she prepares for life after graduation.
One mentor who has impacted Rachel throughout her college career is her roommate,
Amelia Hundley. Gowey says that her mom often tells her to be more like Amelia in her optimism and determination to better herself, and now sees the ways that Hundley has rubbed off on her throughout the years.
Gowey has also served as a mentor, providing some Midwest honesty when asked for advice. "I'm hoping I'm helping them move in the right direction," she said as Gowey genuinely wants the best for her teammates.
She hopes to continue to help athletes by attending graduate school to become a chiropractor. As a young athlete, Rachel often worked with a chiropractor in order to align her body and keep it healthy. This had a big influence on her career aspirations.
"I'd like the opportunity to help athletes be the best that they can be," says Gowey, who receives her bachelor's degree in Applied Physiology & Kinesiology- Fitness Wellness later this year. Then she plans to begin graduate school in March of 2021 after completing an internship in Gainesville.
But before that, Gowey still has a few key weeks left in the season she worked so hard preparing for. She certainly is primed to make it memorable.
