Dec. 3, 2012

STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford All-America Ashley Morgan enters her senior season, which begins on Jan. 4 with a quad meet at San Jose State:

Q: How is your academic quarter wrapping up?
A: It’s good. I’m a product design major, so I’m getting a lot of those engineering classes out of the way. I’m also getting to take a class in the Comm department. So, overall it’s been a good quarter.

Q: What effect does gymnastics have on the rest of your life at Stanford?
A: I think it has a really large impact in a positive way. One of the qualities that (coach) Kristen (Smyth) teaches is that SWG (Stanford Women's Gymnastics) comes first, and we’re able to take the lessons from SWG to our interactions with people outside of the gym. The biggest thing is to form really quality relationships. We’ve learned to work with people and relate to people better, which really applies outside the gym.

Q: Do you have a favorite memory from SWG so far?
A: There have been a lot. One that I always go back to is my first realization of the culture of SWG. My freshman year, at our meet at Georgia, I was competing on beam in front of all of those screaming fans. And then jumping down and being enveloped by this amazing group of girls. I kind of realized this journey that I was embarking on and what collegiate gymnastics is really about. But there have definitely been a lot.

Q: What’s your funniest SWG story?
A: I don’t know if this is necessarily funny, but it shows how light-hearted and goofy we are. It was 4 in the morning, and no one should be this awake at 4 in the morning. We were on the way to nationals, and we were just all dancing around to "Call Me Maybe." It really showed everyone’s personality and how playful the team is.

Q: The team’s motto this season is “All in. Every Moment.” Is there a particular time that really resonated with you?
A: With the motto, everyone understanding it and applying it, Thanksgiving Break really stands out to me. Especially during our first run through of the meet competition, we got to see everyone’s love of the sport and their commitment. It really clicked with all 15 people and without any distractions. Everyone was just so present.

Q: What are you looking forward to the most about the upcoming season?
A: The opportunity to compete with this team. Everyone has such a unique talent to bring to the team. Finally being able to step on the floor and show the other teams what we’ve been working toward. I’m excited to show how grateful we all are for this opportunity and what we’re capable of.