The Iowa gymnastics team and its culture has been a big part of Bailey Libby’s life ever since she was a baby. Because her mom, Larissa, was and still is the team’s head coach, she basically grew up in the gym. But even though so much of her life was spent there with the Hawkeyes, she didn’t always know that she wanted to be one.
When Bailey first started the recruitment process, she looked at a variety of different schools. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to stay in Iowa City, and there were multiple reasons for that. “I was trying to get away and kind of experience life away from my family, on my own trying to figure out who I am as an individual,” Bailey said.
Bailey wasn’t the only one who was hesitant about staying in Iowa. Her mom also had some concerns about her daughter being on her team. Larissa wanted Bailey to be able to have the “normal” college experience, and she was worried that being coached by her mom wouldn’t allow for that.
“I want my team members to have a life outside of gymnastics, and I just didn’t see how she could do that,” said Larissa. “I really felt like no matter what, she was always going to be under a microscope.”
But eventually, Iowa started to emerge as one of Bailey’s top choices. “As I was going…
