Thursday, 4/17/97 UCLA’s Leah Homma, one of the greatest
gymnasts in UCLA history, prepares for final meet
By Lisa Quon Daily Bruin Contributor Leah Homma is used to
carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. As both the
emotional and physical team leader of the UCLA gymnastics team,
Homma manages to do it all. She is not your average team leader,
however. For the past four years, Homma has had a quiet focus in
both training and competition. She is not outspoken, nor does she
like basking in the spotlight. That’s hard to avoid when you are
one of the greatest gymnasts UCLA has ever had. "As a gymnast, her
combination of power and grace has changed the face of gymnastics,
both at the collegiate and international level," teammate Stella
Umeh said of Homma. "I’m honored to be on the same team as her."
Like most gymnasts, Homma originally began taking lessons for fun.
"I constantly thought of quitting until others around me started to
notice I had a certain talent." Homma said. From there, Homma spent
little time in formal school because she was often traveling and
competing. "Back then I felt like I was missing out on my
childhood," Homma said. "But in retrospect, I wouldn’t have given
the experiences of getting to see so many places and meet so many
people up." Now, 17 years after her first visit to the gym, Homma
finds herself on the eve of her last gymnastics meet, and perhaps
her most important – the NCAA Championships. "All I’m hoping for is
to do my very best in my last effort as a UCLA athlete," Homma
said. "To me that is what success is." Four years ago, Homma would
have shied away from all the attention she is receiving before
nationals. She entered UCLA as a nervous freshman from Canada who
found the adjustment to living in the United States very difficult.
"UCLA had such a great reputation in Canada, that I was excited
about coming here," Homma said. "But once I got here, trying to fit
in was so hard that I really didn’t enjoy my first year too much."
But her performances in competition were not hindered by her
personal struggles. As a freshman, she broke UCLA’s all-around
record with a 39.475 along with the school beam record of 9.9 at
regionals. She was named to the All-Pac-10 team in the beam, floor
and all-around. She was also named UCLA’s Freshman of the Year. As
a sophomore, Homma became an even more consistent gymnast. She
became an All-American on bars with a 9.925 at the NCAAs, broke the
school beam record with a 9.975, and topped her previous all-around
record with a 39.45. Also in the 1995 season, Homma placed first in
the all-around four times, and was both named to the Pac-10
All-Academic team and crowned Pac-10 Gymnast of the Year. Homma
showed no signs of slowing last year as a junior. She placed first
on bars in seven meets and first on beam in four. At nationals, she
again broke her own school all-around record with a 39.75.
Assistant coach Mark Cook has worked with Leah for three years, and
only has positive things to say about her: "Leah is one of the most
focused gymnasts I’ve ever worked with. She is no-nonsense, takes
care of business, and has impeccable resolve in both performance
and execution." But it was this year that she truly proved to be
one of the finest gymnasts in school history. Over the course of
the season, Homma scored a perfect 10 on two events, vault and
bars. She stands as only the second gymnast in UCLA history to do
so. Homma considers her 10 on bars at the Pac-10s to be one of the
most defining moments in her career. "This second 10 was even more
special than the first because I wanted it so much," Homma said. "I
consider bars to be my best event, and I’m the type of person that
when I start something, I want to perform it till it’s perfect." In
addition to her other accolades, Homma joins two other UCLA
gymnasts as the only Bruins to receive Pac-10 Gymnast of the Year
honors twice. She has left her eternal mark on the world of
gymnastics with three moves named after her in the international
code of points; the Homma Flip on beam and the Homma Flairs on beam
and floor. Throughout the season, Homma has led the team not only
with word, but especially by example. "Leah projects a great
presence," Cook said. "This year she has rallied the team toward
improving on performances and settling for nothing less than the
best. Her competitive nature is an inspiration itself." How does
Homma feel about all this attention she’s receiving before the
final meet in her career? "I definitely am not one for the
spotlight, but I don’t feel any unhealthy pressure," she says. "I
think the transition to becoming a team leader is a gradual process
from freshman to senior year." Homma is not only a winner in the
gym, but in life. "You get all kinds in gymnastics, but Leah’s
sense of focus comes through in all aspects of life," assistant
coach Anthony Calderon said. "Since she came to this school for
both athletics and academics, you can sincerely say she will do
well adjusting to life after gymnastics." Homma goes about life
with an air of cheerful optimism. "I feel like everyone will have
their day in the sunshine," she says. "I believe if you’re patient,
good things will happen." WYNN RUJIRAVIRIYAPINYO/Daily Bruin Team
captain Leah Homma is prepared for the final meet in her
illustrious career at UCLA.