Sam Mikulak Quotes

My best event is probably… it actually varies day by day. But the high bar – it’s the most fun for me. A lot of people like it. It’s risky and dangerous. I like the adrenaline rush.

I started re-reading ‘Harry Potter’ just to throw myself back into my childhood. I forgot how awesome the books are.

I definitely want to put my kids in gymnastics at an early age, whether that’s what they want to or not. Gymnastics just builds such a great fundamental strength at a young age, and they get great; they learn how to move with their body. I think that can translate to any sport later in life.

Some aspects of gymnastics don’t really get that much attention, and when you have people send you letters, it makes you feel important and gives you a sense of purpose so you can go out and train hard because you want to perform well.

I listen to music that doesn’t have words. I love Kygo – he’s tropical house, and that’s my stuff!

The most fun is the high bar – I just like the adrenaline rush of doing the high-flying releases.

If you want to be the best gymnast in the world, you have to love the moment. Every single moment that you are competing. Every skill, you have to be showing it off. If you aren’t showing it off, what are you doing?

Learning how to compete is one of the most important things that an athlete can do. You can train as well as you possibly can and go compete and completely choke.

My most prized possession is my pillow. I can’t travel or sleep without it. And it’s, like, this really thin down pillow that really doesn’t do anything, but it’s weird: if I don’t have it, I’m constantly thinking about not having it.

With how much stress I have every day in the gym, you need a little time to get out and just be whoever you want to be.

I bought a Fitbit, actually, and I just thought it was going to be an awesome way to track how I live and move and burn calories, but with gymnastics, it was a total waste of money because it’s more based off how you walk and not how you flip.

My parents met during their time at Cal Berkeley while they were both on the gymnastics team. Due to their intense gymnastics background, I started doing ‘Mommy and Me’ classes when I was 2 years old.

I like to be in control of my own athleticism. If I win, I don’t want it to be because of my lucky underwear, you know? I want it to be because I put forth the work.

I’m a California kid, so I love the beach.

Gymnastics gives you the abs. It’s not like I sit there doing like a thousand crunches before every practice or something like that.

I watched ‘Apollo 13,’ and it, like, absolutely freaked me out. I was terrified. I didn’t want to go to space because I thought it was imminent death.

There’s always a little fear anytime you’re doing something crazy because at any moment you can break a leg, land on your neck, or peel off the bar. Over the years, we’ve fallen so many times that we’ve kind of learned how to fall safely. Still, there is always a risk.

The No. 1 place I’ve visited so far was Antwerp, Belgium. That was one of the coolest cities I’ve ever seen. Every day I woke up, I felt like I was in a movie.

‘Finding Dory’ just stole my heart. Little Dory was the most adorable thing in the entire world, and Ellen DeGeneres killed the game. I liked the flashbacks to the past – it gave you a bit more perspective and appreciation for certain characters.

Pommel horse is probably the most nerve-wracking because it’s one of the events that is easiest to fall off, and then you lose the momentum of the whole routine.

You can freak when you are at the Olympic Games. There are millions of cameras. Everyone is watching every move. Some people will trip where they would never trip in a routine. It’s the small thing that nerves really bring out in people.

I keep joking with my teammates that Nickelback should be our walkout song. I think everyone secretly likes at least one song.

I think everyone envisions what their life would be like if they were to live in this post-apocalyptic world. I love the idea of fighting every day to live, because it kind of applies to gymnastics; I feel like every day I need to be in control and focused and stay on edge.

If I could go back in time and see anyone perform, it would have to be Bob Marley.

Due to my love for ‘Harry Potter,’ I have to say my celebrity crush is Emma Watson and my Olympic crush is Gracie Gold.