Sam Mikulak

Professions :

If you want to be the best gymnast in the world, you have to love the moment. Every single moment that you are competing. Every skill, you have to be showing it off. If you aren't showing it off, what are you doing?

best moment you love

Teamwork. That's the biggest lesson you can learn from competing in NCAA gymnastics. Everyone just has to work together, you have to trust in everyone, and everyone has to push you to become the gymnast you want to be.

you trust together work

I bought a Fitbit, actually, and I just thought it was going to be an awesome way to track how I live and move and burn calories, but with gymnastics, it was a total waste of money because it's more based off how you walk and not how you flip.

walk you money way

I know everyone has Olympic dreams, but if you really think about it, you just don't want to go to the Olympics. You want to be a gold medalist at the Olympic Games.

dreams think you gold

If you don't have a cohesive team, you won't have good results.

good you results team

My parents met during their time at Cal Berkeley while they were both on the gymnastics team. Due to their intense gymnastics background, I started doing 'Mommy and Me' classes when I was 2 years old.

parents me team time

If I could go back in time and see anyone perform, it would have to be Bob Marley.

back go see time

Due to my love for 'Harry Potter,' I have to say my celebrity crush is Emma Watson and my Olympic crush is Gracie Gold.

celebrity say gold love

I got a degree in psychology at the University of Michigan and can most definitely sing the greatest college fight song of all time.

fight college time song

The first time I won a medal in the all-around competition is when I realized that's what I wanted to do pretty much for the rest of my life. Even though I was still doing baseball and soccer at the time, I think I just found that that was more my passion, where I saw a lot more success... I was probably eight or nine years old.

passion success time life

My most prized possession is my pillow. I can't travel or sleep without it. And it's, like, this really thin down pillow that really doesn't do anything, but it's weird: if I don't have it, I'm constantly thinking about not having it.

weird sleep travel thinking

With how much stress I have every day in the gym, you need a little time to get out and just be whoever you want to be.

day you stress time

My best event is probably... it actually varies day by day. But the high bar - it's the most fun for me. A lot of people like it. It's risky and dangerous. I like the adrenaline rush.

best day me people

The No. 1 place I've visited so far was Antwerp, Belgium. That was one of the coolest cities I've ever seen. Every day I woke up, I felt like I was in a movie.

every-day place day like

'Finding Dory' just stole my heart. Little Dory was the most adorable thing in the entire world, and Ellen DeGeneres killed the game. I liked the flashbacks to the past - it gave you a bit more perspective and appreciation for certain characters.

you perspective heart appreciation

I started re-reading 'Harry Potter' just to throw myself back into my childhood. I forgot how awesome the books are.

just back myself childhood

I think everyone envisions what their life would be like if they were to live in this post-apocalyptic world. I love the idea of fighting every day to live, because it kind of applies to gymnastics; I feel like every day I need to be in control and focused and stay on edge.

day love life world

I keep joking with my teammates that Nickelback should be our walkout song. I think everyone secretly likes at least one song.

teammates everyone think song

I listen to music that doesn't have words. I love Kygo - he's tropical house, and that's my stuff!

words music house love

I'm a California kid, so I love the beach.

kid california love beach

Brian Urlacher

Brendan Brazier

Bill Rodgers

Aimee Mullins

Ivana Trump

Adam Goucher