‘Ready for anything’: Get to know Soraya Hawthorne, a freshman with a hint of GymDog stardom

Two sides exist to Soraya Hawthorne.

Georgia’s freshman gymnast is often respectful and kind — but quiet. Hawthorne’s smiley, yet soft-spoken demeanor became evident as an interviewee for the first time in college. She’s similar around her teammates, too.

“She has that shy personality,” sophomore teammate Rachel Baumann said. “We have to bring it out in her. She’s upbeat and bubbly, but sometimes she likes to hide it.”

Hawthorne’s other side vastly contrasts any reservation. There are a few things that allow her exuberance to arrive. Mention makeup, she’s passionate about that. Anything regarding dancing? Hawthorne would love a discussion.

Better yet, escort Hawthorne into the Stegeman Coliseum and ask for a floor routine. Her face will shine like a firework. The 4-foot-11 freshman packs a punch. She’s powerful, dazzling, captivating and entertaining.

Hawthorne debuted the routine in front of a sellout crowd of GymDog fans last Friday night against LSU. The energy inside Stegeman Coliseum was palpable, and Hawthorne felt it with each pass while landing it with ferocious style. She brought fans to their feet, put them on notice and surprised her team a bit, too. Hawthorne finished with a dream-like result — a perfect 10 from one judge and an overall 9.950 as three GymDogs finished floor exercise with the same score.

“It was probably one of the best floor routines I had ever done,” Hawthorne told The Telegraph. “At least that’s what it felt like. It was amazing. … After I landed my split jump, I was like ‘yeah, I just did that.’”

Those two sides encapsulate what the GymDogs have as a rotation piece and eventual all-around competitor. Hawthorne, competing on vault and floor through two meets, has shown glimpses of being a future star with every routine posting a score above 9.800. Her path to this point, however, hasn’t been the smoothest. Hawthorne has powered through the shyness to display a level of grit to work through some temporary obstacles.

Hawthorne hails from Memphis, Tennessee, and spent her younger years as a homeschool student while spending countless hours training for gymnastics. Most of Georgia’s first-year gymnasts arrive on campus in the summer to take at least one course and get acclimated to the differences of college life. Hawthorne, due to being homeschooled, had an extra hurdle of clearance by the NCAA. She couldn’t officially be in Athens until the fall semester began in early August.

Like most young gymnasts, there’s a transition when moving away from their club gyms, a normal routine and their families. Hawthorne had to learn the importance of communicating with teammates — unlike Junior Olympic gymnastics where the athletes are only honed in on mastering an individual assignment — and a shift in routine and training schedules.

“We don’t want to leave them out to dry and say ‘figure it out,’” Georgia head coach Courtney Kupets Carter said. “To some extent we need to make sure to guide those who have a harder time and be there to support them. … We want them to be part of the process a bit more to have ownership of their gymnastics. That’s something that we balance.”

Said Hawthorne: “It’s not easy coming to such a big university. My teammates helped me get through some of my tough times, and I’m better now and really excited.”

Georgia knew staying patient through the process of leading Hawthorne would show in her output. To the outsider’s eye, those hardships aren’t evident because Hawthorne doesn’t hold back in competition. She came to the program with an extensive file of skills to choose from, and even has one (the “Hawthorne”) named after her in the USA Junior Olympics Code of Points.

Kupets Carter has had to hone in the difficulty of Hawthorne’s skills in hopes of a technically-sound routine. Hawthorne has the capability to whip out a double-double, but a pike full-in is more likely to be used in competition while progressions are made on those elaborate passes. Georgia notices the potential of Hawthorne’s power. There’s eagerness to display it more, but now coaches are focused on ensuring Hawthorne can land every element of her routine to complement the ferocity.

Her first test came last Friday. Needless to say, an awe-drawing debut checks off a benchmark.

“She’s definitely so powerful. There’s so much potential and so much talent,” Baumann said. “Her tumbling is sky-high, and she’s going to be such a big asset as it evolves.”

As Hawthorne greets the GymDogs on floor and vault, there could be more coming — and soon. Kupets Carter discussed the possibility of using Hawthorne on balance beam during Monday’s meet against Iowa State (2 p.m.), and plans for her arrival into the competition lineup to happen soon. Hawthorne has trained persistently (despite a period of watered-down tumbling due to offseason injury), but needs time to master the unique elements her routine presents. Here are some of its special qualities, as told by Kupets Carter.

• A back-handspring layout

• While others might do two identical switch leaps on a leap pass, Hawthorne’s second switch leap is more like a beep jump — legs start together, then switch and go into a split jump. Kupets Carter said, “It’s more unique and you don’t ever see it. It’s the first time I’ve seen it competed at her ability level.”

• Hawthorne starts on her knees, does a front toss up to her feet, steps to do a front tuck kick-over and follows it up with a sissone.

“It’s beautiful. There’s potential for her to get in that lineup soon,” Kupets Carter said. “I really want her to get the experience, and want it sooner than later.”

This is Soraya Hawthorne. More of the freshman’s passion within gymnastics is on the way — a balance beam and uneven bars routine.

“She wants to do new skills, bigger skills and is ready for anything,” Kupets Carter said.

This story was originally published January 18, 2020 at 12:22 PM with the headline "‘Ready for anything’: Get to know Soraya Hawthorne, a freshman with a hint of GymDog stardom."