Immortal Thirst – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
Sept. 2, 2006
by Emily Meyer Ohio State Athletics Communications
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The ancient Greeks first began gymnastics as a way to achieve physical and intellectual strength. To date, athletes around the world continue to manipulate their bodies to demonstrate power, balance and flexibility as they hurl themselves through the air.
Gymnasts constantly fight to hit routines and battle against the omnipresent power of gravity for an unpredictable outcome. Ohio State junior Jimmy Wickham knows from experience this popular summer Olympic sport can catapult an athlete to extreme highs, even against the codes of nature.
Wickham’s gymnastics aspirations began after watching the high-level fitness and skill of Olympians such as former Buckeye great and 10-time All-American Blaine Wilson. Still, the humble floor and vault specialist never dreamt his gymnastics career would extend through college or beyond. Yet, in February 2006, not only was Wickham competing in his second season as a Buckeye, but he also landed one of 14 spots on the U.S. National Team at the Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas, Nev.
However, before his success, Wickham had bars to jump as he pursued his dream. For the Gulfport, Miss., native, the path to national success was not one without hurdles. Like many gymnasts across the United States, Wickham made sacrifices for his sport including two-hour roundtrips to his gym, Planet Gymnastics, located in Mobile, Ala. Despite the significant time commitment, his passion never waned.
Wickham’s first major obstacle came early when he was not recruited for the collegiate level. Regardless, the exercise science major had received an academic scholarship to Ohio State. With a place to call home for the next four years, Wickham was determined to pursue his dream.
“When I wasn’t recruited at Ohio State, I decided to try out my freshman year because I wanted to do it that much,” Wickham said. “When I walked into the gym, my first thought was, `Wow, these guys are incredible.’ I knew if I had the desire and belief in myself, I could be on that level.”
Ohio State men’s gymnastics head coach Miles Avery saw the determination and natural skill in Wickham and knew he could not let his talent pass by.
“Jimmy had a quality foundation of skill,” Avery said. “I saw the things he was doing could lead to high-level gymnastics. I thought the coaching staff at Ohio State could really make him good by giving him the confidence he lacked in the junior level.”
Avery selected Wickham to join the competition team as a freshman. It was a decision which proved to be beneficial for both Wickham and the men’s program. The 2005-06 team won the Big Ten championship and scored only 0.225 points out of first place at the NCAA championships.
“All I have ever wanted to do was Ohio State gymnastics,” Wickham said. “So when I walked on to a team with tremendous athletes, the atmosphere was motivating because I saw what the guys were doing in the gym and I knew I had to prove myself.”
Little did the gymnast know that halfway through his collegiate career he would surpass his childhood ambition.
“After trying out, making the team and improving, my dream has come true. It is a surreal feeling because most people do not attain their childhood dreams and goals, but I have and then some. Ohio State was my goal, and I surpassed my goal when I earned a spot on the U.S. National Team and competed at the world level in Ghent, Belgium.”
With limited competition experience at the national level, the then-sophomore represented USA Gymnastics on floor and vault at his first World Cup event last May.
“I felt like I was going to collapse before the competition because of the pressure,” Wickham said. “But during training a Russian gymnast applauded after I finished a pass on the floor. Coach Avery turned to me and said, `Well, he liked it.’ It was a great boost for my confidence because I realized I belong in that category.”
Avery finally saw the confidence Wickham needed as a gymnast after the world competition.
“We have been working on Jimmy’s confidence since he was a freshman,” Avery said. “Competing against and beating world-class gymnasts he reads about finally got him to believe he can belong in those ranks.”
While Wickham’s life in the gym continued to develop, his personal life was reduced to a pile of destruction. Hurricane Katrina leveled his hometown of Gulfport. When Wickham’s mother lost her home and her job to the devastating strength and power of the natural disaster; but she survived – when many of her neighbors did not. Still, for two and a half days, Wickham was unable to reach his mother, making it difficult to focus on classes and training.
“The damage was so profound,” Wickham said. “Everything that connected me to home was altered. My mom was there through the whole thing, so I am just fortunate she survived. Even now, a year later, being a support for my mom has been the most important thing for me.”
Visiting Gulfport for the first time after Hurricane Katrina was an out-of-body experience for Wickham because it was nothing like the way he left it.
“Living in Ohio makes it hard to keep in mind the destruction,” Wickham said. “When it’s out of sight, it’s off my mind. It was strange to see my hometown torn apart, and obviously it will take a long time to rebuild.”
The world which raised him was in shambles, but Wickham realized he had to be thankful for what he had. So when he faced another bump in the road Wickham found the silver lining of the stumbling block.
The path to Wickham’s success hit a slight snag last June at the 2006 Visa Championships qualifier. While competing on floor, the gymnast sustained his first major injury when he broke his arm in three different places and dislocated his elbow.
With a strong strength of character, Wickham chose to look at the positive outcomes of his injury.
“I knew something happened right away because of the extreme pain,” Wickham said. “There are always positives and negatives you take away from an injury and I’m lucky it is my first major injury in a sport that is prone to them.
“Although the timing is inconvenient, I needed a break from gymnastics. I started to feel burnt out during summer training. These few months off will give me the opportunity to enjoy the sport again when I return.”
Wickham, a self-proclaimed overachiever, refuses to let his injury be a barrier between him and his dream to compete as an Ohio State gymnast. As he prepares to enter the upperclassmen ranks, the junior feels the team can only improve.
“I’m hoping to be back for the season because we have a lot to prove this year after we did not qualify for the finals at the NCAA championships,” Wickham said. “We can only go up because we have so much to build on from last year.”
The 2007 season also is important to Wickham because of the approaching 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. In two short years Wickham has skyrocketed from a walk-on to the only Ohio State gymnast on the U.S. national team. As he continues to turn heads in the gymnastics world, Wickham aspires to continue following in the footsteps of his idol Blaine Wilson and perhaps one day join the American effort for the Olympic gold because the drive of a highflying athlete never is satisfied.
