Senior gymnast Melissa Genovese likes to have fun inside the gym and out. The El Dorado Hills native is committed to having a good time no matter what activity she is doing.

A self-proclaimed fun-loving person, Genovese enjoys a variety of activities when she is not competing in gymnastics.

Standing 5 feet tall, Genovese doesn’t let her height bring her down when it comes to athletics.

“I love shopping, like any other girl, and I like other sports also. I like playing volleyball and even football,” Genovese said.

Another activity that Genovese really enjoys is traveling. The gymnast has been overseas and would like to return there whenever possible.

“I’ve been to Europe and I want to go back there. I’ve never been to New York so I would like to go there,” she said.

Student-athletes are required to balance schoolwork, practice and a social life. Coach Kim Hughes already believes Genovese is an excellent student so she only has to worry about practice and fun.

Genovese said she is able to balance focusing on athletics and having fun without compromising either.

“I love to have fun, but I’m really focused. I think it’s important to focus on one thing at a time on each event,” Genovese said.

Fellow senior and co-captain Nicole Giao considers Genovese to be a leader among the team.

Giao feels Genovese is worthy of having the captain title, which the senior has held since her sophomore year.

“She definitely leads by example,” Giao said.

Genovese’s easy going personality shines in Giao’s description of her teammate. The girls are not only teammates, but friends as well.

“She is very responsible, hardworking and a very loyal friend. She is also a little bit quirky,” Giao said.

Giao also said the team should have fun no matter what they are doing. When the team traveled to San Jose during the first weekend of February for a meet, it made a stop in San Francisco for an overnight trip.

The next day the team spent the day wandering around the city of San Francisco together.

“When we were at Lauren (Dyson’s) parents’ house, Melissa found a pink tutu and she wore it all around San Francisco the next day. She wore it the entire day,” Giao said.

Genovese’s dedication to athletics has helped her excel in the sport she loves. She currently possesses a 9.880 Regional Qualifying Score on beam. The Regional Qualifying Score ranks Genovese sixth in the nation in the beam event.

“I’m really speechless. It’s amazing. I didn’t think I would be up there in the top 10,” Genovese said.

The beginning of the season was not so bright for Genovese. In the first couple home meets, she struggled to obtain honorable beam scores.

Although Genovese is the reigning Western Athletic Conference beam champion, she was not hitting her full potential.

In the last couple weeks of league competition, Genovese has been back to her usual self, competing with a routine that placed her first in the event.

In her final home meet, Genovese broke the school record on beam obtaining a 9.950.

“I think the main thing was experience ?. I just kept working on my routine and it paid off,” Genovese said.

Genovese hopes her hard work will rub off on the younger group of gymnasts. She hopes to lead by example as both a teammate and a captain.

“I try to work as hard as I can and never give up. If they work hard they can do whatever they want to,” Genovese said.

Hughes said Genovese’s dedication makes her an ideal role model for other athletes.

“She’s committed to the ideal of college athletics. She exemplifies all the qualities of what we’re looking for – the academics, good attitude and a good work ethic,” Hughes said.

Hughes also said Genovese is fun-loving and wants to encourage the rest of the team to adapt to her ideology.

“She wants gymnastics to be fun. She likes to have fun while she trains – she likes to kid around,” Hughes said.

The Hornets also competed in the Salbasgeon Suites Invitational on March 15 in a four-team meet.

Alicia de la Garza can be reached at [email protected]