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Kayla Hoffman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kayla Hoffman
Country represented United States
Born (1988-08-13) August 13, 1988 (age 36)
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
ClubRebound Gymnastics
Head coach(es)Diane Farrell

Kayla Marie Hoffman (born August 13, 1988) is a former American artistic gymnast from Union, New Jersey. A former senior international elite, she competed for the University of Alabama gymnastics team from 2008 to 2011. In 2011, she won the Honda Sports Award as the top woman gymnast.[1][2]

Career

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Hoffman took up gymnastics in 1991, after her mother put her in classes. Because of a love of the sport, she encouraged her mother to take her out of classes and put her on a team.[3] For the vault event, she does a nine step run up.[4]

Hoffman has represented the United States internationally.[3][5] She competed at the 2006 World Cup in Russia.[3] She also competed at the 2006 Friendship Classic.[5]

Collegiate career

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Hoffman competed on the collegiate level at the University of Alabama. While competing for the school, she trained 20 hours a week in the gym and managed a 4.0 grade point average.[6]

In the 2008 season, she competed in a meet against Auburn University.[7] At the 2008 Women's NCAA Championships, she finished fifth in the vault with a score of 9.762.[8]

At the 2010 SEC Championships, Hoffman posted a score of 9.9 on the floor to tie with two other gymnasts for second place.[9]

A senior in 2011, she helped guide her team to a fifth national championship win with a performance that included a 9.95 on the floor exercise.[10][11][12][13] She also finished second in the balance beam with a score of 9.8875.[14][15] She had a third-place finish in the uneven bars, tying with three other gymnasts.[15] The Crimson Tide gymnast went into the competition as a favorite to do well.[16] She went into the competition ranked fourth nationally in the all around, and second in the vault.[17] Her team was ranked second in the nation, after having been ranked ninth earlier in the season.[18][19]

Hoffman was also a key gymnast for the team in their 2011 SEC and NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional Championships wins after being a leader on the team for most of the season.[10][20][18] At the 2011 SEC Championships, she won the vault competition with a score of 9.950.[6][21] A score of 9.875 on the bars put her in fourth place.[21] She tied for third in the all around competition at the SEC Championships with a score of 39.350.[21] Hoffman won the 2010-11 Roy F. Kramer SEC Female Athlete of the Year as a result of her performance, the first Alabama woman to win the award since 2004.[10][20]

Competing in the season opener of the 2010–2011 season, Hoffman had a score of 9.9 on the floor competition, which was enough to give her a first-place finish.[22] At another meet that season against Georgia, she scored 9.95 on the floor and put up an all around score of 39.675 to win both events.[23] Another meet against the Arkansas Razorbacks saw her put up a score of 9.35 on the uneven bars and a 9.95 on the vault. The vault score included two scores of 10 from judges. She finished second at the meet on the beam with a score of 9.825.[24] On senior night of her senior season, she scored a 9.95 in the vault, which was a season high for her in the event. She also put up a score of 9.925 on her floor routine. She had some issues on senior night, including a fall during her beam routine.[25]

Hoffman finished her collegiate career in 2011 as a 5 time All American.[10][26][27] Other honors included earning the SEC Gymnast of the Year and SEC Gymnastics Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the same year.[10] She also earned SEC Gymnast of the Week honors twice.[10]

Background

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Born on August 13, 1988, Hoffman is originally from Union, New Jersey.[10][3][4] She is 5'1" and weighed 120 pounds.[11][4]

In 2010, Hoffman started the process of applying for graduate school. Going into her senior year at the University of Alabama, she had a 4.0 grade point average.[6] She completed an internship at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore.[6]

During her time at the University of Alabama, she dated Michael Hughes, a member of the university's track team.[11] In her senior year, she lived off campus in Tuscaloosa.[11] Following her win at the 2011 National Championships, she was outside her apartment when a tornado struck the building, suffering a six inch long cut along her calf as a result of flying glass. Hughes found her after the tornado.[11][28]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ "Kayla Hoffman wins Honda Award". ESPN. April 27, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  2. ^ "Gymnastics". CWSA. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "USA Gymnastics | Kayla Hoffman". usagym.org. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Writer, Aaron Suttles Sports. "Alabama gymnasts live up to vaulting legacy". Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Japanese Victory at Friendship Classic 2006 GYM family Event 2006 | GYMmedia.com". www.gymmedia.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Balancing gymnastics and academics pays off for Tide's Kayla Hoffman". AL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  7. ^ "Auburn Edged By Tide in Closest Meet In Thompson Era :: Auburn's Julie Dwyer and Lindsey Puckett earn first place on beam and vault - COLLEGE SPORTS OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE". www.cstv.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  8. ^ Turner, Amanda. "Georgia Takes Two More Titles at NCAA Championships". International Gymnast Magazine Online. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  9. ^ "Ashanee Dickerson's runner-up all-around finish paces Gators to SEC gymnastics title". jacksonville.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Alabama gymnast Kayla Hoffman named the SEC Female Athlete of the Year". AL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Anderson, Lars. "Alabama Crimson Tide athletes work to rebuild Tuscaloosa after 2011's deadly tornado". SI.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  12. ^ "Tide gymnasts fulfill national championship expectations". AL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  13. ^ "Alabama eases past UCLA to claim NCAA women's gymnastics crown at Wolstein Center". cleveland.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  14. ^ "UCLA's McCullough ends collegiate career with a flourish at NCAA gymnastics individual finals". cleveland.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  15. ^ a b "Alabama gymnasts win their fifth national championship". AL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  16. ^ "The emotions behind Michigan gymnastics teams' 2 NCAA all-around champions". AnnArbor.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  17. ^ "2011 SEC Gymnastics Championships at a glance". AL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  18. ^ a b "No Priess? No problem for No. 3 Tide gymnastics team, thanks to Hoffman". AL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  19. ^ "Diandra Milliner's gymnastics debut for Tide was almost perfect". AL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  20. ^ a b c "Brent Rooker, Kendell Williams win SEC Athlete of the Year honors". NOLA.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  21. ^ a b c "Alabama wins 2011 SEC gymnastics championship". AL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  22. ^ "Freshmen DeMeo, Milliner sparkle in opening victory for Alabama gymnasts". AL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  23. ^ CLARKSON, ROGER. "Despite season-best score, Gym Dogs fall to Alabama | Online Athens". onlineathens.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  24. ^ "Tide gymnasts fall early, then vault to comeback victory over Arkansas". AL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  25. ^ "Alabama gymnastics defeats LSU on Senior Night". AL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  26. ^ "With Ashley Priess 'replacing' Kayla Hoffman, Alabama gymnastics team seeks a repeat". AL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  27. ^ "It's a fresh start for No. 2 Alabama gymnastics team". AL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  28. ^ SporterTV.com. "2011 Tuscaloosa Tornado Kayla Hoffman Interview". Sporter TV. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  29. ^ "Alabama softball star Haylie McCleney earns NCAA Top 10 Award". BamaMag.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  30. ^ "Alabama's Brooke Pancake wins Honda Award in golf". AL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  31. ^ "Alabama gymnasts finish second to Florida in SEC Championships". AL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  32. ^ "SEC names its Athletes of the Year for 2013-14". AL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  33. ^ "AJ Reed named SEC male athlete of the year". kentucky. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  34. ^ "Alabama's Kim Jacob named top SEC Gymnastics Scholar-Athlete for 2nd year in a row". AL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  35. ^ "UA president honors champion Tide gymnasts with celebratory dinner". AL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  36. ^ "Alabama gymnast Hoffman earns Honda Award". ESPN.com. April 27, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2017.