Senior Spotlight: Isa Weiss
February 24, 2023 | Gymnastics
Finishing strong has never been much of a challenge for Isa Weiss. Bypassing her senior year of high school to come to UW and finishing her undergraduate degree in public health in three years are just a few examples of how determined Weiss is to achieve academic success.
Weiss, who is now in grad school at Washington earning a Master of Public Health, carries that resolve into every aspect of her life.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Weiss has competed on vault and floor during her time at UW, with much of her practice emphasis now dedicated to developing her floor routine.
She notched a career-high floor score of 9.875 in a tri-meet with Stanford and Utah State in 2022.
BEFORE WASHINGTON
Weiss grew up in Palmer, Alaska, admitting that the gymnastics scene in the state is very small.
She and her club team traveled to Oklahoma for a club meet, where UW was also competing against George Washington and Arizona State, which is when Weiss began to consider reaching out to the Washington program.
Now with Washington on her radar and having competed well on vault and floor at the meet, Weiss reached out via email to the coaching staff to express her interest.
The rest was history.
She was originally supposed to graduate high school in the class of 2020 but accelerated her learning so that she could join the Washington gymnastics team and make the move to Seattle.
It's safe to say Weiss was ready to leave her small town in Alaska to experience something new in Seattle. After she completes her time at UW, she's ready to head somewhere with significantly less snow and rain than either of the two.
AN ADJUSTMENT TO COLLEGE GYMNASTICS
"Academically, I was ready to start college. Gymnastics, not so much," Weiss said.
She struggled a lot her freshman year – being in a new city with a new team – and a heck of a lot younger than she expected to be as she stepped foot on a college campus for the first time.
Weiss acknowledged that finding her people her first year was no easy task. If she could give a piece of advice to her freshman year self, it would be to prioritize friendships.
Always putting time and effort into academics and gymnastics, growing up Weiss put little emphasis on building and maintaining relationships with others. Once arriving at Washington, she wanted that to change.
"I have so much love for my teammates," Weiss said. "The other seniors have played a really big role in my development as a person. I feel like I've changed a bunch throughout my college career, and they've been there for me through everything. I have so much love for this team."
GYMNASTICS CULTURE
With the long practice times and so much time spent together, gymnastics truly is a sport that stresses the importance of building a solid foundation for culture. Plus, when you add living together on top of that, culture can become a story that could write itself.
Stepping into a leadership role has been a great experience for Weiss, who has placed value on being able to help the younger gymnasts on the team navigate the academic world at Washington.
With some of the freshmen also beginning their pursuit of an undergraduate degree in public health, Weiss is able to share her wealth of knowledge with them and help steer them in the right direction.
Keeping in mind her struggle to find her place her first year, she wanted to take on a leadership role with compassion and understanding.
"I want to reassure people that not everything has to be perfect all the time," Weiss said.
Being able to mentor the young ones and train alongside those who have seen her grow throughout the years is something Weiss finds very special.
"It's cool to be on a team with people who have been with me all four years, but also to share in the traditions and things that make Washington gymnastics all that it is," Weiss shared. "It's a really cool position to be in."
NEXT STEPS
Although this season will be the last for Weiss in a Washington leotard, next year she will be finishing out her master's degree at UW.
She would like to become a teaching assistant at the university or work somewhere in public health research but knows that she'd like to dedicate next year to making money as she finishes her degree.
Weiss noted that what initially piqued her interest in gymnastics was how challenging the sport was. Working toward a skill and experiencing that feeling of finally getting it – after months and months of grueling training – she became addicted to seeking out that exhilarating feeling and hasn't pumped the brakes since.
She's excited to explore other forms of physical exercise once her gymnastics career comes to a close. Just like everything else, Weiss hasn't had the time nor the energy to try out other forms of working out.
And for how she'll stay connected to the sport, Weiss said she might consider looking into taking a judging course some time down the line – to give back for all that the sport of gymnastics has given to her.
But for now, she will take a much-needed break from training and competing and focus on what matters most to her – her friendships, relationships, and finishing up her academic career.
Players Mentioned
