Mizzou always held a special place in my heart. When I was offered a full-ride scholarship from Mizzou, I knew right away that it was going to be a very good fit for me.
Adrianne Perry
Before Adrianne Perry became a two-time second team All-American, she attended Mizzou gymnastics meets as a young girl. The Columbia native spent her childhood flipping off couches and tumbling down stairs with her siblings.
“My mom decided that a high energy activity like gymnastics would be a good fit for us,” Perry said. “I was two years old when she enrolled me in gymnastics.”
When high school rolled around, Perry’s mom was faced with deciding on whether or not to send her daughter off to train at a competitive club in Kansas.
“My mom supported me in moving away, which was a very tough family decision,” Perry said. “She allowed me to move away and it helped me secure a scholarship.”
In pursuit of an athletic scholarship, Perry moved away from her family in Columbia to train 20 hours a week at Great American Gymnastics Express. For four years, she lived with her teammate and attended Blue Springs High School.
During her prep years, she joined the Junior Olympic National Team and earned titles at Nationals and the Missouri State Championships. She even invented and performed her own balance beam skill, “The Perry.”
Little did she know that she’d represent her hometown years later as an athlete at Mizzou.
“Mizzou always held a special place in my heart,” Perry said. “When I was offered a full ride scholarship from Mizzou, I knew right away that it was going to be a very good fit for me.”
Perry chose Mizzou over offers from LSU and Michigan. She joined the team with her former teammate, Alicia Hatcher. Perry said she went into her freshman year without any other expectations other than to work hard.
“My work ethic and consistency is what led to my success at Mizzou. I consistently hit a lot of the routines that I put out on the floor. Going in, I was ready to take on whatever was thrown at me,” Perry said.
During her freshman year, Perry received Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors, winning 14 titles and competing at the NCAA Championships. Perry said she wouldn’t have made it as far as she did without her teammates.
“They were always in the gym with me, competing with me,” Perry said. “My teammates were a big influence because they helped push me along the way.”
Whether they were traveling at the airport or competing at meets, Perry said she shares her favorite memories with her former teammates.
“At meets, there was always that adrenaline rush,” Perry said. “Competing is what we loved to do.”
Perry ended her senior year by recording the best all-around score at nationals in school history. She left Mizzou with 70 event and all-around titles to her name.
Following her college career, Perry joined the Mizzou coaching staff as a volunteer in 2014 and 2015. Now a lifelong supporter, Perry hopes the Tigers will qualify for the 2018 NCAA Championships as a team in St. Louis.
“They’ve made a lot of progress over the last two years. I know the athletes and the coaching staff are putting in a lot of hard work to continue that process. It would be awesome to see Mizzou make it as one of the top 12 teams this season,” Perry said.
No longer at Mizzou, fans can find Perry at Elevate Gymnastics and Fitness, a local club that she and her husband, Rodney Gust, started. She said that coaching has given her a brand new perspective on the sport.
“I always knew I loved gymnastics but never really understood why,” Perry said. “I’ve found I’m implementing life lessons into each of these kids and it’s made me realize why I really love gymnastics so much.”
Perry said she still gets nervous when she’s coaching kids at their own meets.
“When I’m watching them do their routine and thinking of all the preparation we put into that routine, all of the little talks we’ve had, all of the obstacles this kid has overcome, I still get those butterflies when I watch them,” Perry said.
At 31, Perry said gymnastics has taught her a lot about life. She hopes to continue sharing her love for the sport with her students.
“At the end of the day, what I want my kids to be is happy and my husband and I try to implement as many life skills as we possibly can,” Perry said. “This sport has a way of teaching a lot of life lessons.”
They’ve made a lot of progress over the last two years. I know the athletes and the coaching staff are putting in a lot of hard work to continue that process. It would be awesome to see Mizzou make it as one of the top 12 teams this season.
Adrianne Perry
What does it mean to be #MizzouMade? That moniker has been a staple for Mizzou student-athletes for years. It is often associated with athletes who have excelled at the highest levels of their respective sports, but the true meaning runs much deeper.
While there are certainly examples of former Tigers excelling in professional athletics, there is a much larger contingent of Mizzou student-athletes thriving in today’s fast-paced, competitive work environment. What each of those student-athletes learned at Mizzou has prepared them for life beyond sports.
The mission of Mizzou Athletics remains to prepare champions for life through a personal enhancement model that emphasizes academic and athletic excellence, social responsibility, career development and leadership in order to help each student athlete become a prepared professional in any field upon earning their degree.
#MizzouMade Monday aims to tell those stories of student athletes who are bringing those values and ideals of Mizzou into the real world every day.