Holmes Finds Benefit In Early Arrival

AMES, Iowa - In early June, most incoming freshmen were at home with their friends enjoying the summer. That wasn't the case for ISU freshman Jacquelyn Holmes, who arrived on campus from her native Charlotte, N.C., eager to get started with her collegiate gymnastics career.

“I always knew that I wanted to do college gymnastics,” said Holmes. “I watched a lot of college gymnastics on TV and I loved watching the gymnasts perform. It always looked like they were having so much fun.”

Holmes' aspirations to be a college gymnast were in jeopardy after tearing her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) early in her junior year of high school. Most college coaches were either skeptical about whether she'd return to form following the injury or didn't get the chance to see her compete when fully healthy. But Jay Ronayne was at nearby Auburn before becoming the Cyclone head coach and became a believer in Holmes.

“I had the advantage of seeing Jacquelyn several times at meets and training camps when she was healthy,” said Ronayne. “Because of that, I know that she has great technique and great potential as a college gymnast.”

When Ronayne took the job at Iowa State, he and Holmes had mutual interest in each other. Ronayne invited Holmes for an official recruiting visit and she was quickly hooked.

“I came here for an official visit and fell in love with the campus, my teammates, the coaches and the people,” said Holmes. “I'm not much of a homebody, so the distance from home wasn't a problem.”

By the time she arrived in Ames, Holmes believed she'd fully recovered from her injury. But after meeting with the ISU athletic training staff, her knee wasn't completely healthy. Holmes' early arrival on campus allowed time for rehabilitation and she's now at nearly 100 percent.

“I've been working in the pool and with weights and doing more conditioning,” said Holmes. “There's just more of everything here. I wouldn't have the equipment or the guidance from the athletic training staff if I hadn't come here early. I wouldn't be as strong as I am now.”