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Junior Chris Lung
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March 10, 2008
Throughout the 2008 season, Illinois gymnasts will walk Illini fans through the entire season, giving in depth looks into the team and the season, while also giving gymnastics enthusiasts a closer look into the six different events that make up a gymnastics meet. Overall, the Illini, who have finished in the top five at NCAA Championships the last five straight years, hope to give Orange and Blue fans an exciting ride through the 2008 season as they vie for the programs 10th national title in 2008.
In the eighth edition of the Illini Weekly Q & A, we talk with junior Chris Lung about a typical day in the life of a gymnast and his competitive drive.
Have you ever been interested in any other sports?
"Yeah of course. When I was little, I started playing soccer until about 4th and 5th grade. There's a definite difference between soccer and gymnastics, but I obviously picked gymnastics in the end. Then when I went to high school, I actually was in this football gym class and I guess I was pretty good at wide receiver because the football coach wanted me to join the football team. I know, kind of funny."
How did you get started in gymnastics?
"It is a big family thing for me. My dad is into gymnastics and my aunt was a gymnast and a gymnastics teacher as well. I then have two cousins in the gym and my sister was actually an uneven bars national champion in here time, so it was definitely a family thing. So, then I got started when I was four-years-old. They finally put me in a class because I was sick and tired of watching my sister do it. I was stuck in the gym with my parents just watching my sister and I just wanted to get out into the gym and play."
What do you do in your free time to get away from gymnastics?
"With gymnastics, you're always busy because the hours you put into the sport, so that is a hard question to answer. I love playing other sports, but you definitely can't get embedded too much into other things. Over the summer, we'll go golfing and I love bowling. Then there is just spending time with your friends, having fun and hanging out."
What's a day in the life like?
"A normal college day... Well, actually tomorrow is going to be a tough day because I have to wake up at 6 o'clock and get a drug test for the sport, then I have morning workout after that at about 8 o'clock. I have my classes that I go to and then I come back here and workout for three hours. I will ice afterwards and then hit the books right after. That's pretty much the day in the life of me, just gymnastics and school work, but it's busy."
What are your plans for the future?
"Hopefully marketing. I'm a marketing major right now, so after college I hope that I get a good job at a marketing firm or just with a company and try to get on a marketing team there."
Is there anything unique most people don't know about you?
"A lot of people don't know that I'm extremely competitive in anything that I do. They always make fun of me because I take everything so seriously. We could be playing video games or anything and I can make it into a competition."
What fun game outside of gymnastics have you turned into a competition?
"We have done anything from throwing tape into a trash can, throwing coins into a cup... anything. We can make a game out of anything. There's always something you can do to make things competitive."
