Before taking up gymnastics, the 18-year-old dabbled in various sports as a child and disliked all of them.
“I didn’t like the typical little kid sports, like karate,” says Smith.
When her family moved to Ottawa, Smith's parents decided she could give rhythmic gymnastics a try and the little girl loved it.
“I just fell in love with it and just kept going,” she says.
She competed individually in ball, rope, and ribbon routines as well as in a group of eight other girls.
Smith traveled all over Canada to compete and trained up to 15 hours a week at gymnastics alone, as well as hitting the gym and doing other sports as well.
Her biggest achievement was attending the World Gymnast Stratta with Team Canada in 2011. The non-competitive event drew teams from 54 countries to showcase their skills in Switzerland.
“It was probably the biggest experience of my life,” says Smith. “It’s the closest thing to the Olympics in the gymnastics world.”
After the competition, her family moved back to Liverpool where her parents opened Memories Café.
When Smith first moved home, she attempted to pursue competitive gymnastics in Halifax. Her parents even drove her to practices several times a week after school, sometimes not returning home until after midnight.
After a while, this routine became too difficult on Smith’s school schedule, but she hasn't given up on athletics. At Liverpool Regional High School, she plays soccer, volleyball, and basketball, which she says she was inspired to pursue because of her gymnastics career.
“I now know in my day-to-day life I couldn’t live without the physical activity like that,” she says.
Her love of gymnastics has also inspired her academic and career choices.
“I am looking at getting my coaching certificates to keep doing gymnastics in a different way,” says Smith.
She says it’s the sort of activity she can take with her anywhere. However, she would eventually like to come back to Queens County near family.
“No matter where I end up, I can go back to what I really loved and starting it for other little girls who I can share the experience with,” says Smith.
The teenager says she has also become fascinated with the human body and the way muscles work. Smith intends to take kinesiology at Acadia University next year.
“I definitely wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have sports,” she says.
Aspects of both team and individual sport have affected her in a positive way, Smith says.
“I think it made me a stronger person mentally, not physically,” says Smith on gymnastics. “I think it built me mentally to be prepared if something went wrong or if it went well.”
Before taking up gymnastics, the 18-year-old dabbled in various sports as a child and disliked all of them.
“I didn’t like the typical little kid sports, like karate,” says Smith.
When her family moved to Ottawa, Smith's parents decided she could give rhythmic gymnastics a try and the little girl loved it.
“I just fell in love with it and just kept going,” she says.
She competed individually in ball, rope, and ribbon routines as well as in a group of eight other girls.
Smith traveled all over Canada to compete and trained up to 15 hours a week at gymnastics alone, as well as hitting the gym and doing other sports as well.
Her biggest achievement was attending the World Gymnast Stratta with Team Canada in 2011. The non-competitive event drew teams from 54 countries to showcase their skills in Switzerland.
“It was probably the biggest experience of my life,” says Smith. “It’s the closest thing to the Olympics in the gymnastics world.”
After the competition, her family moved back to Liverpool where her parents opened Memories Café.
When Smith first moved home, she attempted to pursue competitive gymnastics in Halifax. Her parents even drove her to practices several times a week after school, sometimes not returning home until after midnight.
After a while, this routine became too difficult on Smith’s school schedule, but she hasn't given up on athletics. At Liverpool Regional High School, she plays soccer, volleyball, and basketball, which she says she was inspired to pursue because of her gymnastics career.
“I now know in my day-to-day life I couldn’t live without the physical activity like that,” she says.
Her love of gymnastics has also inspired her academic and career choices.
“I am looking at getting my coaching certificates to keep doing gymnastics in a different way,” says Smith.
She says it’s the sort of activity she can take with her anywhere. However, she would eventually like to come back to Queens County near family.
“No matter where I end up, I can go back to what I really loved and starting it for other little girls who I can share the experience with,” says Smith.
The teenager says she has also become fascinated with the human body and the way muscles work. Smith intends to take kinesiology at Acadia University next year.
“I definitely wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have sports,” she says.
Aspects of both team and individual sport have affected her in a positive way, Smith says.
“I think it made me a stronger person mentally, not physically,” says Smith on gymnastics. “I think it built me mentally to be prepared if something went wrong or if it went well.”
