On a whole, how do you feel about your year in gymnastics in 1999? Did you manage to achieve all of your goals?
My focus or main goal was on the World Championships and I was very happy with how I went.

1999 brought the opportunity to compete in your third World Championships. Can you tell us a little more about the experience?
This time it was different because we had Peggy [Liddick, National Team Coach] and the whole team was training really well. We were expected not to only come in the top 12 but 8 or 9 or better and we did. Our 5th placing showed that the team had a confidence and belief they could do well and this was reinforced to us by all those around us who believed in us. We were looked after very well by everybody.

Obviously the World Championships must have been one of the highlights of your year, but were there any other moments that stood out for you?
Not really other moments but many of the other countries began to recognize that Australia was coming up the ranks and performing skills and routines equal to some of the highly ranked and well known competitors around the world. They were as familiar with the Australian routines as we were with theirs.

Competing in the Grand Prix events in Europe provided you with the opportunity to compete against many of the great gymnasts of the 90's. What was that like? Did you make any new friends?
It was really good to be able to mix with them and get to know them a little, although it’s sometimes a little hard to communicate because of language barriers. They are all really friendly. For instance when I dislocated my shoulder at the Chunichi Cup, Svetlana Khorkina came up and reminded me to look after myself because the Olympics wasn’t too far away.

If you could have changed one thing about your gymnastics in 1999, what would it be?
In the All Around Final competition at the World Championships I made a silly error on bars which according to my coach cost me several positions.

What are you major goals and aims for 2000?
My main goal for this year is the Olympics where I hope to do as well or better than last year.

Have you recently upgraded any of your skills and/or routines for 2000?
I am learning a new vault and a couple of new skills on beam with maybe double layout on floor (depends on the state of my ankle).

Which competitions do you have scheduled for 2000 so far?
Australian Championships / Test Event, Stars of Moscow competition in March, and the Pacific Alliance in New Zealand. There will probably be others but at the moment I haven’t got the information.

How do you feel about your chances for the Olympic Games this year? What would it mean for you to compete there?
I feel I have a fairly good chance to make the team and it would be awesome to go and compete in front of a home crowd. For me the Olympics is the ultimate competition for a gymnast and if I compete for Australia I just hope I do well. I am a little older now than I was in Atlanta and if I make the Olympic team this time I would probably appreciate the experience more than I did at Atlanta where everything was a bit overwhelming.

What have you been up to during the holidays and Christmas?
I have been training of course, but I did go to Dreamworld twice, caught up with friends, and went fishing for the first time.

Do you have any other interesting goals in life for the year 2000?
At the moment I am still 2 subjects short of graduating Year 12 and so that is an important goal to graduate in the same year as my younger sister Tina.

Who and what do you consider as your main motivation for continuing the hard training?
It seems as though the major competitions are motivation for me. I set myself major goals which have included the 1996 Olympic Games, 1998 Commonwealth Games, 1997 and 1999 World Championships and now my major goal is the Olympic Games 2000. After achieving set goals it does take a while to refocus and commit to the next long period of training, but once committed, my focus returns.

What qualities do you feel gymnastics gives you as a person?
I feel gymnastics teaches you to develop goals and never give up, to always keep trying, to work hard, and to discipline yourself. It helps you develop time management skills, and fitness. These qualities stand you in good stead for whatever challenges life presents.

For how long do you anticipate staying in gymnastics?
Retirement will probably be after the Olympics.