StickItMedia Exclusive Interview

Danell Leyva has been dominating men’s club gymnastics for the past several years. In fact, he has been so good that he competed in the senior division at the 2007 and 2008 VISA Championships, finishing 9th AA and 11th AA, narrowly missing a trip to the 2008 Olympic Trials.

Leyva is on track to possibly become one of the youngest gymnasts, at 17, to ever make the World Team. He has an impressive resume of international competition, and just recently returned from the 2008 PAGU Championships in Rosario, Argentina, where he won gold on high bar, silver on pommel horse and parallel bars and finished 6th on floor.

Coached by his father, Yin Alvarez, Leyva trains at Universal Gymnastics in Miami, FL. He anchors a very impressive men’s team that includes fellow Junior National Team members Edward Mesa and Max Mayr and National Future Stars Development Team members Marcos Gatinho and 2008 National Future Stars Champion Rafael Javellana. That’s a lot of talent under one roof! This team figures to again be one of the dominant teams in the country.

StickItMedia recently had the pleasure of interviewing Danell Leyva. This bright, talented young man ended the interview by thanking us "for being a promoter of this sport: if you ask any gymnast, he would say that it doesn’t get the credit that it deserves."

SiM: What is it like training alongside so many great gymnasts at Universal?

Danell: I actually enjoy it because it gives me the push and the strive that I need.

SiM: What is the atmosphere like in the gym?

Danell: It’s a really good atmosphere. We’re almost family in there. Everyone is always happy and we’re always helping each other out on whatever we do (gymnastics related or not).

SiM: Which of your many gymnastics achievements have made you especially proud?

Danell: My most recent achievement, which was winning the gold medal on horizontal bar at the Senior Individual Pan American (PAGU) Event.

SiM: What have been your biggest obstacles and challenges so far, and what helped you overcome them?

Danell: Well, the truth is that the only "obstacle" and/or "challenge" is that I was born with asthma, and that would occasionally give me trouble in training when I was younger. Although I do remember that in one of my Future Stars National Championships I had somewhat of an asthma attack before my last event, which was horizontal bar. Yin (my Dad/Coach) didn’t want me to finish the competition. With what little breath I had, I argued with him in a panting way that probably made him a little sentimental, so he let me go up. When I finished my routine, I practically couldn’t breathe, but I couldn’t have been happier, seeing that I had just won the meet. The asthma went away with age, so it isn’t really an issue anymore.

SiM: What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given (gymnastics-related or not)?

Danell: I guess it would have to be this "saying" that I came up with, that I always say to everybody who is having trouble with a skill, or just something that isn’t working out the way they want. I say, "if you’ve done it before, then there’s no doubt that you can do it again."

SiM: What advice would you give to a new young gymnast, hoping to go far in the sport?

Danell: I would say, train harder than your best, and always try to stay positive, even when it seems impossible. Always keep your head up, and never give up on your dream.

SiM: Which elite/Olympic gymnasts do you most enjoy watching?

Danell: Blaine Wilson, Jon Horton, Justin Spring, Raj Bhavsar, Sasha Artemev, Lucas Chiarlo (ARG), Paul Hamm, and Kohei Uchimura (JPN).

SiM: Which famous athlete would you most like to meet, and what would you like to talk to him/her about?

Danell: Hmm…I would have to say Michael Jordan, and I would ask him if he could give me the secret to flying.

SiM: Other than gymnastics, what do you like to do? (Hobbies, music, reading, gaming, sports, etc.)

Danell: I love to draw, play the piano, paint, listen to music… Oh, and of course, watch TV.

SiM: What have you learned most about yourself when you compete in a big meet?

Danell: That I can’t think about what I’m about to do too much, because I get nervous and end up having to fight my way through the routine. Or the opposite, when I don’t think about what I’m about to do enough, and end up having the same problem. So, pretty much that I have to relax, but not too much.

SiM: What new skills would you like to master during the 2009 season?

Danell: Peach Diamidov without putting my hand on the rail during the twist. Driggs on vault to a stuck landing. Hit my 17.2 routine on horizontal bar at VISAs, and to hit my 16.0 routine on pommel horse, also at VISAs.

SiM: What are your future academic and gymnastics goals?

Danell: Academic: finish college with two degrees under my belt (music and art). Gymnastics: Olympic All-Around champion, Olympic gold medalist on Horizontal Bar, Floor Exercise and Parallel Bars, and at least Olympic silver medalist on Pommel Horse. I think Sasha is going to be a tough guy to beat on pommels at the next Olympics.

SiM: What would you like to be doing 10 years from now?

Danell: On my way to my third Olympics. I plan on retiring when I’m 30 years old.

SiM: What is your favorite thing about walking into the gym each day?

Danell: The fact that I know that this is the place that is going to take me to where I want to be when I grow up.

If you like this post, then please consider subscribing to our full feed RSS . You can also subscribe by e-mail and have new posts sent directly to your inbox.