María González leads a double life. One dedicated to her job and her personal life. Another that is semipublic, dedicated to sport, aerobics and fit step, different styles of rhythmic gymnastics. She won (with her team), on May 6, the Spanish Aero Step Championship, held in Zaragoza. María and her teammates are currently at the Aerobic Gymnastics World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Guillermo Esteban: What does gymnastics mean to you?
María González: Oh, what a difficult question! It’s my way to release stress and express what I feel and enjoy with my friends. Aerobics means technical perfection, art, charisma, and expressiveness. People love the exhibitions and it would be great to work to implement it from below. That would get fans and future athletes for top competition.
G. E.: What has it given you?
M. G.: Pride to get what I’ve wanted and I’ve travelled around the world and have met a lot of people.
G. E.: Have you had to make sacrifices?
M. G.: Spending time with my family. I look back and I realize I’ve missed many moments with my friends and my family. But I think it has worth it.
G. E.: Where do you get your calling? (Maybe someone in your family, from school, watching gymnastics on TV…)
M. G.: One of my school mates invited me to try one rhythmic gymnastics class. And now, you can see me. The most part of my life is bound to gymnastics.
G. E.: Your specialty is fit step, what exactly is this style? What are the main differences with other kinds of gymnastics?
M. G.: We use a step to do different formations to use the whole 10m x 10m floor, in 1 minute 30 seconds and keep smiling. It’s not an Olympic sport. But it’s a really hard sport, with a lot of exhibitions, competitions, practices… The seven judges evaluate the technical and the artistic execution. The only bad thing is that those things are a little bit subjective.
G. E.: What competition do you especially remember?
M. G.: The 6th World Games in Akita (Japan) with Octavio García. (My fellow partner in aerobics for many years). We finished in sixth position with a wonderful piece.
G. E.: Why do you think gymnastics is not consideredat the same level as other sports like football or basketball?
M. G.: (the smile leaves her face) It’s all about the money!
G. E.: In three months the Olympic Games will be held in London. What are the expectations for Spanish gymnasts at this competition?
M. G.: We have medal options in rhythmic gymnastics for groups.
G. E.: Can you tell me three gymnasts or other sports players you admire most?
M. G.: Usain Bolt, because I practiced athletics when I was younger. Also Jonathan Cañada and Alba de las Heras, they were world champions many times in sports aerobics.
G. E.: Do you think sport gets people to evade their problems, like economic crisis, unemployment… Or it’s just another excuse to have something to talk about, as it happens sometimes with football matches?
M. G.: Not only to evade your problems but to share them with your sport mates.
We finished the interview and our drinks and talked about meeting another day, maybe in a concert… I think, maybe on TV, with one of her fit step demonstrations.
Written by Guillermo Esteban García
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