Kayla Hoffman

Kayla Hoffman
— Gymnast —
Country represented  United States
Born (1988-08-13) August 13, 1988
Discipline Women's artistic gymnastics
Club Rebound Gymnastics
Head coach(es) Diane Farrell

Kayla Marie Hoffman (born August 13, 1988) is an American artistic gymnast from Union, New Jersey. A former senior international elite, she competed for the University of Alabama gymnastics team from 2008 to 2011.

Personal life

Hoffman was born August 13, 1988 to parents Richard and Helen Hoffman in Summit, New Jersey. She has one sister, Emma Lee Hoffman, who also is a competitive gymnast. She began gymnastics at the age of three. She trained at Sunburst Gymnastics in Union until 2001, when she relocated to Rebound Gymnastics in Marlboro.

Career

Hoffman qualified to her first Junior Olympic National Championships in 2001, after a third-place finish at the Region 7 championships. She became a senior international elite in 2004 and competed at the USA Gymnastics National Championships for the first time in 2005, finishing eighth in the all-around. In May 2006, she represented the United States at the Moscow World Cup, where she placed seventh in the uneven bars and floor exercise finals. She finished eleventh at that year's National Championships and was subsequently named to her second consecutive Senior National Team.

Collegiate career

Hoffman retired from elite gymnastics in 2007 and began competing for the University of Alabama in January 2008. In 2011, her final season, Hoffman became the first student athlete to be named the SEC Gymnast of the Year and SEC Gymnastics Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the same season. She went on to lead the Crimson Tide to its first NCAA national title since 2002, securing the victory with a score of 9.95 on the floor exercise. She also placed second in the individual all-around and balance beam competitions. Shortly after the competition, she won the Honda Sports Award for gymnastics, and was later named the Academic All-American of the Year and the SEC Female Athlete of the Year.

References

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