In The Nest: Kathryn Weilbacher Soars With Falcon Gymnastics

Medical Mutual

1/30/2023

In just her second year at BGSU, Kathryn Weilbacher has made herself an all-around threat for the Falcons. The Houston native has already set personal records this season in vault (9.90) and the all-around (39.275) in the home opener against Western Michigan. Weilbacher recently sat down to answer a few questions, which includes her gymnastics journey, her favorite vacation and her most “Texas” trait.

Q: You are starting your second season at Bowling Green and have been competing in the All-Around. What is your favorite and most challenging of the four events and why?
Weilbacher: I love all the events for different reasons and sometimes it depends on the day for what event is my favorite. Although my favorite and most challenging event is probably bars. I have always loved it and I am genuinely having fun while swinging. It is the most rewarding because I have gone through so many mental blocks with bars that I still struggle with sometimes to this day. It is just the best feeling when I overcome them and do what I am capable of.

Q: What is the preparation like to compete in the all-around as you are mastering four events each and every week?
Weilbacher: In club gymnastics everyone does all-around, so training for all-around here has not been super different

Q: When you create a floor routine, what goes into that artistic process from picking a song to the techniques you want to showcase?
Weilbacher: Miss Bekah (Rebekah Hill), our floor coach, also choreographs our routines. We worked on picking the music together. My music this year has a lot of Fergie songs mashed together which I love. I typically go for more upbeat routines, and I think she did a great job with the one I have this year.

Q: You are planning on studying business at BGSU. What is your career goal after college in that field?
Weilbacher:
I honestly don’t know what exactly I want to do as a career after college. I really enjoyed accounting last semester, so I was thinking of specializing in that but want to see how my other classes go to see what other interests I have. I have also always been interested in coaching

Q: Growing up, how did you gravitate towards gymnastics?
Weilbacher: I started gymnastics when I was six years old just because my mom put me in rec classes. The funny thing is I used to hate it and cry because I didn’t want to go when I first started. But then I fell in love with it and here we are!

Q: Is there a Falcon on this team that many people haven’t heard about that could make a big impact on the 2023 season?
Weilbacher: I think Megan Bingham is a huge attribute to our team in many different aspects. I absolutely love training with her because she always has a great attitude and that is so helpful in getting through the rough days. She also brings a lot to the table with her gymnastics as well. She competes in bars and beam right now and is always a solid score we can count on. She is only a freshman this year and I see a lot of potential for breaking into the vault and floor lineups during her time at BG as well.

Q: You hail from Houston, Texas. If someone is coming to your hometown, or passing through, where is a place they should visit or grab a meal (what should they order) to get the full experience of your home area?
Weilbacher: Coming from Houston, I love Tex-Mex. That is something I don’t get to have up here in Ohio, so I make sure to get it every time I am home. My recommendation for someone driving through my hometown would be to go to Lupe Tortilla and get the beef fajitas. You will thank me later!

Q: What is your most Texas trait?
Weilbacher: My most Texas trait is probably saying “y’all.” It is so crazy to me how different words or phrases are used in some parts of the country but not others!

Q: What are some things on your “bucket list”?
Weilbacher: Some things on my bucket list are to visit Greece, go sky diving, and run a marathon.

Q: Describe Coach Turner in one word?
Weilbacher: Encouraging

Q: Who is the funniest girl on the team?
Weilbacher: It’s tough for me to decide the funniest girl on the team. But the three girls that make me laugh the most are Sydney Bennett, Lexi Bornhorn and Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso. We tend to just feed off each other and are always joking around.

Q: Who inspired or encouraged you the most athletically growing up?
Weilbacher: My mom was huge in encouraging me to continue to do gymnastics. She made a lot of sacrifices for me to stay in the sport. She has also always been one of my biggest cheerleaders throughout my gymnastics career and life in general.

Q: Where is your favorite spot on campus and why?
Weilbacher: My favorite spot on campus is probably the Maurer Center. I love all the windows and natural light that is able to come in. It is a great place to meet with friends and study.

Q: If you could only have one song play for your floor routine for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Weilbacher: A song that I could listen to forever would be “You Should Probably Leave” by Chris Stapleton. I don't know that I would like it as floor music, but it is my beam song. It just makes me happy and feel at peace.

Q: Where is the coolest place you have traveled?
Weilbacher: The coolest place I have traveled is probably Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It almost looked like a movie set and was just unreal. The mountains were insane, and we did a lot of hiking which was fun. We also got to see bears in their natural habitat which I thought was super cool. It was such a great experience to have with my family!