KIANNA IMANI DEAN: “ALWAYS DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY”
Kianna Imani Dean is an aspiring elite gymnast from the Bahamas.
She trains at Park Avenue Gymnastics in Cooper City, Florida. “Training for 2015 has been very interesting for me,” Kianna told Full Twist. “I had the privilege to train both USAG (USA Gymnastics) and FIG (Federation of International Gymnastics)
thus far and it was quite exciting. The two systems are different in terms of scoring and even skill values so it is very fascinating working with them.”
If Kianna reaches her goal of going to a World Championships or Olympic Games, she will be
the first to do so for the Bahamas in artistic gymnastics. “In August of 2014 I had the opportunity to compete for the Bahamas in the Pan American Championships in Mississauga, Canada,” she explained. “It was truly one of the most memorable
experiences of my life. Being among the first gymnasts from the Bahamas to ever compete at a competition [of] this caliber was an experience I [will] never forget. I loved that I was able to meet so many amazing gymnasts from so many different countries. Some
were much older than I was, some did not speak any English, [but] some gymnasts even spoke up to three languages. It was such an honor being able to compete with such a diverse group of young adults and even some Olympians.”
Kianna told us about
her gymnastics goals. “I set short-term gymnastics goals daily in practice; as I move from event to event I just try to focus on completing the assignment and making that work out better than the previous ones,” said Kianna. “As for long-term
goals, my main goal as of now is to compete and represent the Bahamas again.”
When asked about her next competition, Kianna explained, “My USAG competitive season is now over so I don’t have any other competitions for those. However
I am in the running for being either the competitor or the alternate for the Pan American Games in July 2015.”
18-year-old Kianna added, “I would just love to encourage the Full Twist readers to continue to follow your dreams and your heart,
whether it [is] in gymnastics or something else. Always do what makes you happy.”
Article in Fulltwist Magazine
http://fulltwist.net/elite-and-ncaa-gymnast-training-updates-part-19/