It’s our pleasure to introduce Sam Smith, an elite 2005 Men’s Artistic Gymnastics athlete at Calgary Gymnastics Center who trains with Scott Rayment and Bin Fan. Sam also serves as our Social Media Manager and is the senior member of the Grizzly Classic Athlete Leadership Team.

If you’re at all familiar with our social media accounts, then you have certainly seen Sam’s work. As Social Media Manager, Sam is responsible for creating and managing our social media content, including collaborating with sponsors and other featured athletes. He also works as a coach at Calgary Gymnastics Centre and a provincial gymnastics judge.

Sam is a truly exceptional role model and brilliant young man, who many younger athletes describe as “sooooo cool.” We hope you’ll find Sam’s perspectives and advice as valuable as we have. Enjoy!

INTERVIEW

Weʼd love to begin by learning about your early gymnastics career. When and where did you start your competitive program? And, what did you love most about it?
Started competitive gymnastics at age 7. I loved being pushed by coaches to learn things that I didnʼt know I was capable of.

What was it like to compete for the first time? Did this experience shift for you as you gained experience?
Competing has always been scary for me but Iʼve gotten more comfortable and learned to enjoy the nerves and enjoy showing off at comp.

As you continued training and competing, what were some of the challenges you faced? And, how did you overcome them?
Iʼve always struggled with twisting, as well a lot more fear of skills when I was younger, these and most other challenges Iʼve faced have always been most easily dealt with head on by putting more hours into them and working tirelessly at the skill.

Who and what has been most influential in your gymnastics career? And, how have you stayed dedicated and motivated?
Seeing success of teammates and having a successful gym around me is the most motivating part of my career, we all build upon each otherʼs confidence and dedication.

One of the aspects of gymnastics that we appreciate so much is that senior competitive athletes often participate in coaching younger competitive athletes. From what we hear, this is pretty standard in the sport and, we have to say, we think itʼs ingenious! Athletes who are new to the sport get to know their role models, which is so inspiring; Senior athletes deepen their knowledge by teaching skills in ways that resonate with boys who have myriad learning styles; and the gymnastics community benefits by having those who are participating in the sport literally shape its future. We’re curious: Does your gym also use a model like this?
Yes

Could you talk about your perspective on this practice and share your experience growing up within it, if applicable?
Coaching younger guys that look up to me as a senior athlete is both humbling and inspiring, I want whatʼs best for them and am determined to teach them as best I can as well as continue working hard as an athlete to make them proud.

What are some of your most memorable career highlights?
My first travelling competition as a team Alberta athlete was very motivating, I saw that I had a lot to learn and to improve on but was also determined to do so, to come back and win.

Could you please share what grade you’re in and what plans and aspirations you have for the future?
I graduated high school in 2023, currently taking gap year before university and am planning on attending the Canadian Military College and then joining the army after retirement from gymnastics.

Iʼd like you to imagine that youʼre in your 30s, living your best life! What do you think youʼll remember most fondly about your gymnastics career? And what has been your most fun memory, to this point?
I think Iʼll miss the thrill of doing different skills most. My fondest memory that Gymnastics has brought me was the entire Canada Winter Games experience, so many amazing experiences in one week.

Could you please share some of the transferable skills that youʼve developed because of gymnastics? And also about any other ways you anticipate this sport will influence your life in the future?
Apart from the strength and flexibility that will serve anyone well in an active career or hobby for life, the discipline that gymnastics instilled in me has made me dedicated and hard working.

Lastly, do you have any advice for younger athletes who are interested in MAG? Both in terms of gymnastics and in general?
Always find the positive in everything you do, find what you can improve upon not what you did wrong, think about what youʼre capable of on a good day, not how you performed on a bad day.

LIGHTNING ROUND

If you could eat one food for the rest of your life it would be:
Nachos.

If you were told the internet was going to disappear forever, what would you put on your hard drive? (Movies, shows, music, photos, etc.)
Every Billy Joel song ever.

If you could meet one person (dead or alive), who would it be?
Julius Ceasar

Your morning drink/meal of choice is:
Oatmeal and Coffee

On your days off, what do you LOVE doing?
Sleeping.

Your three biggest priorities in life are:
Be happy with my career in gymnastics. Have an exciting life after gymnastics. Have a good family relationship.

Describe your go-to style in and out of the gym:
Pyjamas all the time.

That’s a wrap! Thank you, Sam!

We hope you found Sam’s interview fun and inspiring! Here at the Grizzly Classic, our goal is to increase participation in Men’s Artistic Gymnastics across Canada. We thought it would be fun to share stories from athletes competing at every level and every age to create a sense of connection among these extraordinary athletes and give newcomers a window into the MAG community.

We hope you find our Featured Athlete Profiles interesting and helpful.

We’d also like to extend a HUGE thank you to Sam for his tremendous dedication and leadership; his contributions to the Grizzly Classic have been and continue to be incredibly valuable and it is our honour to work with such an excellent young professional in the making. We know we’ll see big things from Sam and can’t wait to watch his career and life unfold!

If you have feedback, we’d love to hear it! And, if you know an athlete who would like to be featured, please direct them to the Grizzly Classic Featured Athlete Profile Form.