April 9, 2008

STANFORD, Calif. - Redshirt Senior Dylan Carney recently took some time away from his studies and rigorous preparation for the upcoming National Collegiate Men's Gymnastics Championships to answer a few questions for goStanford.com.

Carney has been a formidable threat at horizontal bar for the Cardinal over his career, and was a NCAA co-champion of the event in 2006. He also attained an almost perfect score of 9.95, the nation's highest mark that season, at the 2007 Stanford Open. This year, his season high is 15.450. He has also been impressive in floor exercise and vault, notching 9.6s in both events, and this year a 15.5 in floor exercise, and a 16.05 in vault. He is a two-time All-American.

1) So West Coast or East Coast? Which do you like better and why?
A) Definitely the West Coast - mainly because of the weather. I grew up in Massachusetts and I've seen enough snow to know that it's way overrated. Sure, it's fun to play in and ski on once it a while, but living with it is definitely not worth it. Snow and ice make the roads dangerous, increase commute times, cause people to slip in parking lots, break shovelers backs, etc. - no thank you. In California, especially at Stanford, the weather is almost always gorgeous and is rarely an inconvenience (except for those times you can't possibly bike to class in the rain).

2) What are the top-five most listened to songs in your iPod and what makes them your favorite?
A) Oh man, I'm really bad at favorite questions. I really like all kinds of music (except heavy metal), and what I listen to is constantly changing. I'm always looking for new bands and new genres, and what I listen to usually depends on what kind of a mood I'm in. If it's during a competition and I'm trying to get the adrenaline going then I'll listen to rap (hyphy, for those who know what that is), and if I'm too amped up and need to chill out then I'll listen to something a little calmer. When I need to do a lot of work (that I don't want to do), then I listen to techno and that tends to speed me up... but if it's work that I enjoy doing I'll listen to rock or jazz. If I'm just hanging out or reading then I'll try to listen to something I've never heard before. I also always listen to music while I sleep - but only songs/bands that I'm really familiar with (like Maroon 5). Recently, I've been working my way through Rolling Stone Magazine's top 500 songs of all time (thanks to my mom, who compiled them for me).

3) What other sports did you play growing up?
A) When I was really young I did gymnastics and swimming, but I when I was nine years old I had to choose just one. I'm pretty sure I was a much better swimmer than gymnast, but I liked gymnastics a whole lot more so I stuck with that (I think I made the right decision). Then, when I was in high school I had to do an after-school sport (gymnastics didn't count, go figure), so I did cross country and swimming/diving. At first I hated running, but as I got better I had a lot more fun, and I even ran varsity at states my freshman year. Swimming and diving were much easier transitions. I swam 100 back and 100 IM, but couldn't compete with the lifelong swimmers. Diving went well once I figured out how to comfortably add 1/2 a flip to everything, and I placed 3rd at states the one season I competed. The cross training was fun, but definitely detracted from gymnastics - so once I fulfilled my school's requirement it was back to the gym 100%.

4) If you could pick any restaurant on University Ave. to eat at, which one would you pick and why?
A) Can I pick a restaurant on California Ave instead? I'm a huge fan of The Counter - it's this hip burger joint where you sit down and bubble in what sort of burger (beef, turkey, veggie), cheese, toppings and bun you want. I almost always get a beef burger with swiss, bacon and avocado. They also have great sweet potato fries. Downside - there's always a gigantic wait.

If California Ave is off-limits then I'd say Cheesecake Factory. While I can still get the same burger at CF as TC, the menu is a bit intimidating. I always end up getting that same good ol' reliable bacon, swiss, avocado burger, but at CF it comes with a side of you-should-have-branched-out-and-tried-something-new guilt. Upside - I get to wash it down with a 930-calorie Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Ripple slice of cheesecake (I kid you not).

5) What's your favorite skill to do in gymnastics?
A) Anytime I get to hurl my body in the air and feel the g's I'm having a good time. I'd say a double twisting double layout off high bar is my favorite skill, even though I don't compete it (my routine is so long that by the end I'm gulping air and lucky to land my single twisting double lay). Other skills that rival the double double in fun-factor would be kolmans on high bar and full-outs on floor (also skills I don't compete).

6) Any predictions for this year's NCAA Gymnastics Championships?
A) Stanford will win. Need I say more?