Welcome to Saturday Spotlight! Here, we dive deep into the lives of Ohio State student-athletes and learn more about their journeys to Columbus, their love of the Buckeye traditions and who they are as competitors and students.
With her father and mother as her coaches growing up, Alexis Mattern has been around the sport of gymnastics for her entire life. Now a junior at The Ohio State University, Mattern is a veteran on a relatively young Buckeye squad. Ranked No. 18 in the country, Mattern and the Scarlet and Gray head to Penn State this weekend for a conference clash.
We sat down with Alexis to discuss what it's like being a student-athlete, her most embarrassing moment and more.
When did you realize you may have a chance to compete at a collegiate level?
Alexis Mattern: I think when I was in seventh or eighth grade. I went a gymnastics camp and met a couple college coaches, and they asked me if I had ever thought about doing gymnastics in college. I was 13 or 14 years old at the time, so that was really early for me to think about college, but that's when I kind of started to form that goal that this was something I was capable of doing and went from there.
What drew you to come to Ohio State outside of gymnastics?
AM: I went a private school that was really community oriented, it was a big family, so those are the things I looked for in a college. I wanted that community aspect, I wanted that family feel and really feel at home, and I wanted a school that was great in all aspects of life. Community, sports, well-being, just all the things that would make me a well-rounded person later on in life.
What is the best part about being an athlete?
AM: Honestly, I think the life lessons you learn along the way and the people you get to meet. Ohio State has a lot of opportunities right in front of you, and you get to learn a lot of things about who you are and you get to grow with the people who are going through this process with you. So you make a lot of new friends and connections that help you grow as a person, and the lessons you learn you can take with you anywhere.
What’s been your best gymnastics moment?
AM: I don't think one really stands out, but when I was in the 11th grade, I qualified for the Nastia Liukin Cup — and that was kind of the turning point of my career. I saw that I could stand my ground with the best in the country, and going into the NCAA at a school like Ohio State where you're going to be up against a lot of really good competitors, that kind of set that light bulb off in my head that I'm going to have to work really hard to accomplish all the things I wanted to.
Do you or the team have any special superstitions?
AM: Our routines the morning of a meet are kind of same old, same old. It seems so funny with gymnastics, but we eat breakfast, get dressed, then get together and do each others' hair, and put glitter all over our faces and put our makeup on. Then, we do a team huddle and we're good to go — and it's game faces from there on out.
What are you studying?
AM: I'm a sports industry major with a minor in fashion and retail studies. So, I'd like to do public relations for a sports team, but on the apparel side of it.
What’s been your favorite class at OSU and why?
AM: I'm in a sports marketing class right now, and it's definitely my favorite. Learning the in's and out's of why we market certain products, and why there are certain things put up around places like the football stadium. So, I'm learning the in's and the out's of the business side, but I'm also part of the product being a student-athlete; but you get to go to other sporting events and be the consumer at that point.
What’s your favorite part about/spot on campus?
AM: I love the Oval during the spring when all the flowers are coming back and everyone brings their dogs out. It's just so nice, and that whole community feel comes back out.
What's your favorite Ohio State tradition?
AM: Carmen, Ohio, hands down that's my favorite. At the end of all of our competitions, football games, any sporting event, win or lose, you will always hear that. Just to see all the people in the crowd swaying back and forth, it's just my favorite and gives me chills every time.
What’s been your favorite aspect of Columbus?
AM: My freshman year I went downtown to one of the bridges and I was able to see the skyline as it was starting to get dark with the sunset — and right then, it gave me the appreciation for the city as a whole. I came from a very small city back in Pennsylvania, so being able to see everything that was in front of me made me appreciate the opportunity I have being at Ohio State... All the restaurants, all the people, all the activities you can do; you're never bored.
What's been your most embarrassing moment?
AM: My freshman year we went to a dual meet at Minnesota, and there is a part in my floor routine that I do a jump where I end up going to my stomach. So I was trying to be really dramatic and show it off, and I ended up doing a belly flop and hitting my face on the ground and rolled out of it to try to cover it up. I ended up getting an OK score and I kind of forgot about it, but then a couple weeks ago, it was on a social media account for 'who did the better belly flop?' So three years later, it came back to haunt me.
What’s something that not a lot of people know about you?
AM: I can't swim. I hate water, I can't stand being around it, it scares me, and I cannot swim. It is a fear, people have tried to teach me, but I can't swim. If you're looking for a more serious answer though, my parents were actually my coaches in gymnastics growing up. My parents and my aunt owned a gymnastics school, so I literally grew up with gymnastics. I went every morning with my dad until I went to school full-time, and when I went to school full-time, my dad would come pick me up and I would go to practice, and then I would come home at nine o'clock at night when my parents were done coaching.
My dad actually coached Randy Monahan, who is now my assistant coach here at Ohio State. So it's all kind of coming full circle.
What is something you would tell an incoming student about Ohio State that you'd like them to know?
AM: I guess just be yourself. You only get to do this one time, so make sure you're using your time wisely and having fun while you're doing it. You get one set of these four years to do everything that you want to do, and I promise that you'll have time do it all — but you've got to do it right the first time.
