FEATURE: Gymnast Kennedy Baker

A Signing Gator

There’s a part to Kennedy Baker that not many know about. Before coming to the University of Florida, her family discovered that her cousin was deaf. Since then, she went on to teach herself sign language and has continued taking sign language classes at the University of Florida. It is a very important part of her life because she enjoys being able to communicate with her cousin.

A Mother of One, Hedgehog

The love of her life, Thumper, is Kennedy’s most recent addition to her family.

If you're having a bad day…here's a picture of my hedgehog Thumper ps. Instagram account coming soon pic.twitter.com/nCa7tEQnIB

— Kennedy Baker (@KennBaker15) April 11, 2017

Senior Year, Time To “Ball Out!”

What’s next for Kennedy Baker? Her senior year is approaching, and she’s pretty much done with her academics. So there’s only one thing left to do. BALL OUT!

Baker is extremely excited for her senior year. While I thought that this year was a good year for Kennedy, she told me otherwise. Injuries have plagued her junior year, although she somehow was still able to get a perfect score against Auburn. Baker told me that next year’s Gator gymnastics team will be the best team she’s ever been on. As a team, she expects the Gators to win the NCAA title and has also set a very high goal for herself. To individually win the NCAA floor event!

Post College Ambitions

Last but not least, where will Kennedy Baker find herself after her college? Baker does not believe she will continue with gymnastics after she graduates. This is the main reason why she wants to work especially hard in her senior year at the University of Florida. Kennedy Baker was thinking about Cirque de Soleil as a career choice following college, although she felt that it would be too much for her body following her many years of gymnastics. Although, Kennedy has aspired to be an actress for quite a while. She intended to study acting at the University of Florida. Unfortunately, the acting major’s schedule did not match up with her extremely busy gymnastics schedule, and so she decided to study telecommunications. But that did not discourage Baker. She intends to move out to Los Angeles after she graduates and pursues acting.

In conclusion, Kennedy Baker is not only one of the most down to earth athletes I’ve ever gotten the chance to meet, but also one of the most competitive. She holds the Florida record in the floor event(10.00), was the SEC Freshman of the year in 2015, has been named to the All-SEC team in both 2015 and 2016, and the list could go on and on. As a person although, there hasn’t been an athlete I’ve had more of a pleasure to meet than miss Kennedy Baker. Her strive for greatness will never cease. A competitive fire will forever loom inside the gymnast and the human that is Kennedy Baker.