Junior floor specialist Jessica Taylor has her work cut out for her at each home meet in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Often waiting to contribute one of the last routines of the competition, her ability to stay focused on her job is a major key to her success. Her consistency and newfound performance quality on floor have earned her a spot in the back end of the Eagles’ floor lineup, where she is trusted to knock out the lowest score of the rotation. It is a tall order for many, but for her, it’s a weekly learning opportunity instead of a task. Every routine she contributes is as calculated as ever: At first glance, her composition is extremely suited to her strengths–watch for her sky-high double tuck–while below the surface, her holistic approach to training allows those strengths to shine.
She attributes her successes to constant mindset training, which head coach Kasey Crawford encourages all of her athletes to utilize. At the start of the season, the entire team works through an introductory module on mindset training with Gymnastics Mindset Academy. Topics range from positive thinking to competition day nerves and are all discussed with a gymnastics-specific lens.
In Taylor’s freshman year, the full team worked together through mindset training packets and…
