Meet the Cyclone Gymnasts: Hilary Green

AMES, Iowa- A positive attitude and commitment to gymnastics have taken Hilary Green far. Although she has faced numerous challenges getting to where she is now, Green puts a positive spin on every experience she has had. The Madison, Alabama native's positivity stretches back as far as the beginning of her gymnastics career.

“It was really fun,” Green says about growing up as a gymnast. “Of course it's more fun when you're young and it gets serious as you get older. It's always been a part of my life, I just love it.”

Hilary describes her mom and her sister as her biggest supporters. Her sister taught her basic gymnastics skills around the house and helped her get involved in her first classes. Even when her mom was deployed, she kept her in it. After about five years of classes, Green really became serious about the sport when she was about ten years old.

Moving around due to her mother's military career provided a significant challenge for Hilary. Having competed at five different gyms, she had to learn to adjust after every move. This included adapting to a new team, new coach, and new opinions on skills and technique. She agreed that it was difficult to switch gyms so often and stay involved in gymnastics, but her dedication has paid off.

In the 2012-2013 season alone, Hilary earned Alabama state championship titles in vault and floor, and a first place finish on floor at the JO National Invitational Tournament. She also won the all-around at the Bama Rama, Huntsville Invitational, and Alabama Optional Judges cup during this season. After being a three-time Level 10 Regional qualifier Green took first place in the all-around at the 2014 Region 8 championships.

On top of these achievements, Hilary has found supporters at each gym she's been involved with. She explains that older girls on the teams she has been on have been role models and supporters, and she still keeps in contact with teammates from her old gyms.

Injuries have also proved to be a challenge for the gymnast, when asked how she deals with those setbacks, Green replied, “It's more of a mental thing, you just feel timid coming back into it. You just have to let that go and keep going with it.”

Green considers her scholarship to Iowa State her greatest accomplishment in gymnastics. She is excited to be here and travel and compete with teams like she's seen on TV. But most of all, Hilary is excited to have a team.

“The past three years before this I didn't have a team,” Hilary explains, “I did, but I was the only one at my level so I competed by myself. So it was just me and my coach. Now I have a whole team to support me, so I'm not just doing it for me, but for them.”