At age three, just a stray cord and a big imagination was the beginning of future Big Ten gymnastics champion Mya Hooten’s heavily decorated career.
Hooten took a cable cord from a box and started jump roping. Having so much energy as a young girl and nowhere to release it, Hooten’s parents decided to put her in gymnastics when she started doing cartwheels.
Hooten’s mother Kari Conroy knew from the beginning her daughter was a go-getter.
“She was always so spunky, jumping around on couches, doing flips and always moving around,” Conroy said.
While most things could not get Hooten to sit still at a young age, one Olympic performance in particular finally stole the attention of the young Hooten, changing her life from then on.
“I had an obsession with Shawn Johnson,” Hooten said. “I would make my dad pause the TV and we would rewatch her Olympic routine over and over.”
Hooten started gymnastics young, bouncing around from multiple organizations including Rising Stars, St. Paul Park and Classic Gym.
From an outside perspective, you could see Hooten’s talent as a gymnast bringing her many accolades in the future, but behind the scenes, she was dealing with a heavy load of affliction.
Going into high school, Hooten’s parents divorced, forcing her to help out with her siblings while her mom worked late nights.
During this time she switched high schools three times, having to balance school, her family and the gym.
Considering she wanted to compete at the collegiate level, Hooten had a lot on her plate, on the mat and at home. Even with everything going on, she never let anything stop her from doing whatever she could to keep her dream afloat.
Conroy spoke highly of her dedication to gymnastics.
“She was crazy in the gym, tough on herself, but was a competitor and always wanted to win,” Conroy said. “She would miss going to proms, football games and social events because she was always practicing.”
While fitting in the time to study along with the rest of her responsibilities, Hooten would repeat four words to herself, “I can be smart.”
19 years after Hooten grabbed that stray cord, she is known as one of the best Gophers gymnasts. However, she also performs well in the classroom, earning the WCGA scholastic all-American, the CSC First Team Academic All-America, CSC Academic All-District, Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten throughout her collegiate career.
As a Big Ten champion on floor, uneven bars and vault, Hooten believes in growth over time and hard work.
“I’ve grown a lot since I was in middle school, I feel like in my previous years, I didn’t really know how important it was to be such a hard worker,” Hooten said.”
Some may wonder how Hooten can do it all, but Conroy attests gymnastics has played a huge role in her success in all areas of her life.
“As a gymnast, you’re so focused, it makes you become organized in life, I think it stemmed from gymnastics and makes the pieces of your life fall together,” Conroy said.
On top of being a student athlete, Hooten earned a degree in business and marketing and is getting her master’s in human resources and industrial relations.
Hooten’s success did not just happen overnight, and no one may have a better understanding than Conroy, saying she was motivated and dedicated from early in her life.
