UCLA gymnast Nya Reed on viral moment: "I was freaking out."
The Bruins graduate student spoke to Olympics.com about going viral, finding a new home in Westwood and wrapping up her gymnastics career.
UCLA gymnast Nya Reed’s viral floor exercise moment from her squad’s preseason ‘Meet the Bruins’ came as a wake up call – quite literally.
“I woke up [the next morning] and my phone was just going crazy,” Reed told Olympics.com. “I was like, ‘What is happening?’”
What was happening was that her floor routine – set in part to the music of Too Short’s ‘Blow the Whistle’ – was taking hold of the internet, piling up more than three million views across platforms.
“I tell people I literally thought that I had missed practice or a meeting or something,” Reed continued. “I was freaking out. Everyone was sending my clip and it was like, it has a million views now. The views are going up, people are talking about you.”
Reed joins a long line of gymnasts from UCLA to ‘go viral’ including Katelyn Ohashi and Nia Dennis.
The visibility brought extra attention, including from fellow NCAA stars.
“[LSU basketball star] Angel Reese had kind of shouted me out,” Reed says, beaming. “That was kind of amazing because, one, she’s such an influential African American athlete. Two, we’re both from the DMV [D.C., Maryland, and Virgina], so I thought that was amazing to be able to have that recognition, and three, she seems like a person who definitely uplifts women. I feel like that’s what we need more of in the world of athletics.”
Beyond the excitement, Reed’s viral moment provided an opportunity to shine her light bright. Her routine is a tribute to her culture and a tribute to her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta.
“I feel like my routine has been very inspirational to the African American community and that’s something I really want to be an influence in,” explained Reed. “Not only for a young gymnast, but also for my community as well. I want women and little girls to see me and know that she can do that.
“That’s my goal to touch as many individuals as I possibly can,” she continued. “It’s an amazing feeling.”
A new home
It’s exactly the kind of experience Reed dreamed about when she came to UCLA.
A standout gymnast the University of Florida, the six-time All American sat out the 2023 season and finished her undergraduate degree.
But, she still had a year of eligibility to use and a burning passion for the sport, so she reached out head coach Janelle McDonald to see if there might be a place for her in LA.
“I definitely reached out because I wanted to go to a place that really aligned with my views and my values,” explains Reed. “UCLA is known for this amazing gymnastics and amazing program. I really wanted to be somewhere that I can be part of that and a part of a family.”
McDonald says Reed’s introduction to the family has been smooth.
“She just fit in with our team, out athletes, our goals seamlessly,” the second-year head coach said. “We want her to be here, we want her to be a Bruin.”
The hardest part of joining the squad, admits Reed, was getting back into gymnastics shape.
But even that has worked out just fine with Reed competing nearly every week of the season on vault and floor. She has a season’s best of 9.950 on vault and 9.975 on floor.
Her year between Florida and UCLA was spent focusing on her personal growth away from athletics with hardly any time training gymnastics.
“I definitely did a lot of therapy and a lot of mental work, trying to not only become a better person for myself but also being a better individual when it comes to taking care of my mental health,” recalls Reed of her gap year. “I was able to find who I was outside my sport.”
Nya Red: Looking ahead
Reed’s Bruins are currently ranked No. 10 nationally and are seeking a trip to the NCAA finals, which features eight teams.
She knows the task ahead of her squad, which has had a somewhat up-and-down season so far, and is embracing it.
“I would say [the main focus] for everybody, it literally is trying to tap into the team that we know we are,” Reed said. “There’s so much grit and determination on this team and desire to win.
“Even though we might not have done what we wanted to [thus far], that still doesn’t define us as a team,” she continued. “It’s like, continue to be that top team that we know we are, that we train like we are and just continue to go at it.”
But despite the grit and determination, Reed knows this season has already been a success.
“I told everyone my goal for the season is just to be happy, and that goal is already accomplished,” she said. “I’m excited no matter what.”