Quick Chat: Eryn Williams

By John Frierson
Staff Writer

Georgia gymnastics sophomore Eryn Williams's favorite class last semester didn't start out that way. She was expecting to dislike it, and struggled early, before coming out the other side really liking it. Learning a new routine in gymnastics can go the same way.

Williams, who competes in the floor exercise, was named a WGCA Scholastic All-American last season, one of several academic honors she received after her freshman year. During a recent Quick Chat, Williams, from Knoxville, Tenn., talked about that class she wound up liking, the sports she played when she was younger, her love of chicken nuggets, and much more.

Here's some of what she had to say:

Frierson: Did you have a favorite class last semester?

Williams: It was a business law class. I went into it expecting it to be terrible, like, I do not want to do this. I did not do well on my first exam, so I was really stressed. But the teacher I had, professor (Tricia Jonas) Hackleman, she was actually a gymnast at one point, too, and I didn't realize that. We connected on that, and she really helped me get into the swing of things in that class.

I ended up really liking it, which was very unexpected to me. I was like, law, there's a lot to that. I was really stressed out the entire first half of the semester, until I started getting to know her more, and I ended up really liking it. I'm sad that I don't have any more classes with her, but I'm really excited for the future, especially since I got into Terry (the Terry College of Business).

Frierson: The journey you went through in that class, does that translate to gymnastics too? Learning anything new, it's probably not going to be pretty at the beginning.

Williams: I think so. Coming here last year, my freshman year, it was a lot to get adjusted to. And that's exactly what happened in that class. ... Just like coming in (as a new gymnast), it was an adjustment. And this season, since I did get injured in the very beginning, once I got here, and I was learning a whole new beam routine.

That was definitely a setback, and something I knew I had to get used to. I had never gotten injured before, and it was bound to happen eventually, and I was in a boot for a while. It took me a month or so until I could fully get back to doing events again. That was a setback, something I had to mentally prepare to go through.

Just like that class in the beginning, it was a struggle. But I learned it (the new routine), and I could be at First Look, which was exciting. It's good to be back.

Frierson: Was gymnastics always your main sport, or did you play a bunch of different sports when you were younger?

Williams: I did do a bunch. I did soccer for a long time. Gymnastics, I did it for a while when I was younger, but then I stopped for a while because of the time commitment. I got back into it again and started to get more serious about it. I also did softball for a year, I did swimming for a year, and I did cross country and track in middle school.

I did cheer my junior and senior years of high school. I wanted to be able to do both (cheer and gymnastics), so I was able to make time for cheer in my schedule.

Frierson: Was it nice to do cheer because it was a school activity, whereas gymnastics is a separate thing that you do at your gym?

Williams: Gymnastics in high school is more individual. When I would cheer in high school, it was a group thing. I only did do sideline (cheering) at football and basketball games. I didn't have time to do competitive cheer. And being on a team was a good way of getting me ready for college and being on the team here.

Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?

Williams: Chicken nuggets. I eat chicken nuggets for dinner almost every single day [laughs]. I don't know which ones they are (from the grocery store), but they taste so good.

Frierson: I assume dips are a key part of the nugget experience. Do you have a preferred dip?

Williams: Chick-fil-A sauce, always. I think we've bought four Chick-fil-A bottles, between my roommates and I, since the start of the semester. They're not the huge bottles, but I have to have the sauce every single time [laughs].

Frierson: Who is the funniest person on the team?

Williams: I think JaFree (Scott) is hilarious. I feel like last year she was coming out of her shell, so during the season, she was the funniest person. She's still the funniest person I've ever talked to. I can't stay serious around her for one moment.

Frierson: Is there one sport at Georgia that makes you go, I could never do that?

Williams: I feel like it's diving. Jumping off of such high platforms is kind of scary. Even if there are a lot of similarities (to gymnastics), like flipping and knowing where you are in that moment, I just feel like standing up on that platform, it makes me nervous.

(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)

Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.

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Eryn Williams

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