Sixteen questions with Anna Li

Although she opted to take a summer off from gymnastics, UCLA star Anna Li is training with an eye toward returning to elite level competition.

Li, who helped lead the Bruins to their first NCAA Gymnastics title in six years this spring, took the summer off to catch up on coursework at UCLA and give her body a rest. She is now working as an undergraduate assistant coach with the team while finishing up a degree in history. 

Although unsure when she might return to competition, yes, Li does plan to continue.

“As of right now I’m just training and trying to get skills back and put things together,” she told Examiner.com. “There aren’t any specifics yet. Just trying things out and training. As for upgrades I’m obviously going to have to upgrade from the NCAA level so it’ll be similar to training and going back to the four years of elite I did prior to NCAA.”

Prior to enrolling at UCLA in 2006, Li finished 16th all-around and ninth on beam at the 2005 U.S. Championships. She was 23rd overall at her first U.S. Championships in 2004 and was also a two-time J.O. National champion on balance beam. As an elite, Li was coached by her parents, 1981 World floor champion Xuejiu Li and World and Olympic bronze medalist Jiani Wu, who own and operate Legacy Elite Gymnastics in Illinois.

At UCLA, Li came into her own with high-flying release moves on uneven bars, dramatic performances on floor and infectious enthusiasm for the sport. She thrilled NCAA and elite gymnastics fans when she announced plans to continue in gymnastics after exhausting her NCAA eligibility in 2010.

In the interview below, Li, 22, shares her reasons for coming back and discusses her White House flipfest and her sisterly relationship with Legacy Elite's younger stars. Please read on for more.

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Q: What inspired you to give elite gymnastics another shot?

Anna Li: “I’ve always had elite in the back of my mind since I went to college. I was at my best in 2006, but left to report for UCLA. Ever since then, I always wanted to continue it.”

Q: What to you is the difference between being a 17-year-old elite and being a 22-year-old elite?

Li: “There could be a lot of differences. As for me, being 22, I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and competitive experience from the age of 17. Learning and understanding overall discipline is something that I understand more of as well. Also a 17-year-old body is a lot different from a 22-year-old body, so there are a lot of differences.”

Q: Why did you decide to take the summer off? Have you been working out in the gym at UCLA, or just doing non-gymnastics stuff like running to keep fit?

Li: “I actually had started training with Vanessa Zamarripa, but then decided that at the time I wanted to retire and be done. I had a lot going on after winning NCAAs and I felt that my body needed to be done with the sport. So I had stopped training.”

Q: Have you now finished school at UCLA? What are you planning to do with your history degree?

Li: “I actually still have about two quarters left, so not a full year. I'm not sure exactly what I want to do with my history degree yet, I just enjoy history. There are so many things that I want to do and have changed my mind many times, so I'm not sure what I want to do.”

Q: It sounds like you've been busy lately! Besides school, what else have you done these past few months?

Li: “This summer I did some stunt work, which was a lot of fun to be on set. I did a lot of public speaking and did motivational speeches. I also worked [UCLA] Camp, and I'm doing some traveling.”

Q: What for you was the highlight of the NCAA champion Bruins’ recent visit to the White House?

Li: “My highlight was all the sight seeing! I LOVED IT!! Especially being a history major and going to visit all of the memorial sites and learning more about U.S. history (which is my favorite to learn about) was so cool! Also being at the White house was fun and then shaking Obama’s hand to top off the trip before we headed for the airport was pretty amazing!”

Q: Saw the Youtube video of you flipping across the White House lawn while you were in Washington. Very cool! Whose idea was it to have you do that?

Li: “Well, I was talking to one of the "F.A.B" members, which are my favorite "groupies" ever! She said that no one has flipped at the white house, and knowing me, I was going to make that happen! So I actually didn’t tell anyone because I assumed if I asked for permission, that it would get turned down. So I worse shorts under my dress and before it got busy, I handed my camera to a friend and just decided to go for it!”

Q: You were also in an episode of “Make It or Break It” last season. What was that experience like?

Li: “It was a lot of fun. It was a great experience of the entertainment career.”

Q: How has being at UCLA and having the whole NCAA experience changed you as a gymnast? As a person?

Li: “As a gymnast competing 17 meets in one season has definitely made me a more experienced competitor. As a person, I've grown a lot and dealt with a lot of adversity. I definitely think I'm a stronger person overall from my experiences at UCLA.”

Q: You had several diverse floor routines while at UCLA. Do you have a favorite?

Li: “All four of them were different every year! It seemed that my senior year routine was everyone's favorite. The music and dance seemed to be a routine that fans loved. But I liked all my routines because they were all different. My sophomore year was one of my favorites as well. My freshman year it was fast and crazy! My junior year I was the most excited to compete because it was my "fun" routine! I had to convince Miss Val to let me use that music, but I didn’t get to compete it, and the next year I taught it to [teammate] Tauny Frattone.”

Q: Will you be keeping your floor routine from UCLA?

Li: “I'll probably get a new routine because I get bored and usually want something new :-)”

Q: It must be cool to be able to go home and train with two up-and-coming gymnasts in (2010 World team member) Mackenzie and Bridgette Caquatto. What's your relationship with them like?

Li: “With Macko and Bridgey, they’re like younger sisters to me. When I was training before college, they both were the “younger girls" and now when I go back they’re both "the older girls" in the gym. It’s a lot of fun to train with them, as well as Amanda Wellick who had just qualified for the Region 5 All Star Team, where I traveled with her to train in Slovenia.”

Q: You have a wealth of coaching talent and experience to guide you at Legacy Elite. Will you be coached by both your parents together? Or does it depend on the event?

Li: “My parents both coached me my entire life before college, and it would be the same if I went back.”

Q: You hinted in a Q and A back in the spring that Miss Val had invited you to remain a part of the UCLA program after you graduated. Is this still a possibility for you, and had you two worked out in what capacity you would stay?

Li: “Right now I'm focusing on finishing up classes and training. I'm going to be in the gym a lot as well as taking full loads of classes, so I'll be very busy! If I wasn’t taking classes during their training time, I would love to help the team!”

Q: You dealt with your fair share of injuries at UCLA, but were able to come back well from all of them. How are you going to train with an eye toward preventing injuries in the future?

Li: “I believe just training smart will prevent injuries and being able to communicate well with coaches will always help prevent/take care of injuries.”

Q: A lot of top gymnasts consider a coaching career after they’ve finished with elite gymnastics. I know you're also looking at stunting or doing Cirque du Soleil, but has the possibility of coaching ever crossed your mind as well?

Li: “Well considering my parents have a gym in Illinois (Legacy Elite) there is a big possibility! When I go home, I train and help coach. I helped coach over the summer too as well. I've been living in the gym since I was about 17 days old, whether it be training or working in the gym- so being a coach is something I wouldn’t rule out because I have so much passion for this sport.”

Photo gallery: The Anna Li files. Please click on the image of Li on bars to the left of this article to enter the gallery.

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