Gymnast finds strength despite the rough and tumble
By Daily Bruin Staff
Jan. 14, 2009 10:27 p.m.
In 2001, Ariana Berlin never imagined seeing a gymnastics floor, a balance beam or uneven bars again.
After sustaining several injuries in a serious car accident, Berlin retired from the sport.
“After the accident I quit gymnastics,” Berlin said. “I didn’t really know what I was going to do.”
Eight years later, Berlin highlights another strong UCLA gymnastics team and hopes to lead the No. 4 Bruins to their sixth national championship this year.
It has been a long road back for the senior from San Diego. Not a lot of people thought she would be where she is today.
“I told her when she came on if all she ever did was do an exhibition on floor for us with all cartwheels then we would be happy,” coach Valorie Kondos Field said.
Berlin erased any doubt that she could not return to stellar form and has become one of the top gymnasts in a high profile collegiate program. Her determination to succeed kept her motivated to continue with her dream to be a UCLA gymnast.
“Since I was like 2 I always wanted to be a Bruin,” Berlin said. “I knew I was going to UCLA and getting a scholarship in gymnastics and live happily ever after.”
Accident to Retirement
Berlin grew up in San Diego and attended Patrick Henry High School. She trained at the Southern California Elite Gymnastics Academy an hour away in Temecula and at South Coast Gymnastics in Orange County.
At the 1999 Western Regionals, Berlin took home the all-around title and placed second in the uneven bars. She earned Level 10 status and was training for Elite when everything was put on hold.
Berlin was in a serious car accident that forced her to retire from gymnastics. She had to get four surgeries to repair a list of injuries no one wants to have.
Two collapsed lungs, two broken legs, a broken collarbone and a broken wrist were suffered in the accident. A rod had to be inserted into her femur.
After extensive rehab, Berlin turned her attention to dance, another one of her passions.
“I always was the dancer in my group of friends,” Berlin said. “I picked it up as a profession when I was 13 or 14. It just became my passion, and while I was in the accident I was able to pursue that passion even more.”
B-girl turned Bruin
Berlin is an accomplished breakdancer and was trained in hip-hop dancing. She was one of the youngest members of Culture Shock San Diego, a nonprofit hip-hop dance troupe.
For three years, Berlin was a dancer and b-girl for shows at SeaWorld San Diego. The choreographer of the shows at that venue: UCLA gymnastics coach Valorie Kondos Field.
“After a couple years I got pretty close with her,” Berlin said of her mentor. “I started to miss gymnastics. I told her my dream was always to go to UCLA and be on the gymnastics team.”
Berlin went back to training in the gym and was able to walk-on at UCLA. The intangibles she brought to the team are what caught the attention of her coach.
“I came from the dance world and I felt that that love for performing and the respect that went into rehearsals was very valuable for our team,” Kondos Field said. “In gymnastics, we’re a team based on perfection so often times they don’t allow themselves to have fun with their performance.”
Talent-wise, she was still a little rusty after taking three to four years off, but her hard work and positive attitude quickly made her a prominent member of the team.
“She understands showtime,” Kondos Field said. “Showtime means you’re in the zone, you’re in the focus, and you’re not stressed and tense.”
“As a dancer, you’re not judged, so you’re allowed to go on stage and just perform your heart out. In gymnastics, that’s often injured because you’re judged and you’re afraid to make a mistake. Her ability to go out and perform without worrying about being judged is a value she brings to the team.”
Dream Fulfilled
Berlin’s fearless competitiveness translated into a very successful freshman campaign.
She started off in the top six in two events and three meets into the season she was competing in the all-around.
“I would never lower my standards even after a surgery,” Berlin said. “I was competing in the all-around so I expected myself to be competing in the all-around.”
A week after winning her first all-around event as a collegiate athlete, she set a personal record of 39.225 at a meet in Arizona.
Throughout the season, Berlin hit 50 of 52 routines and was third on the team in routines competed. She earned Pac-10 Co-Freshman of the Year and was named an All-Pac-10 selection in the all-around.
Her coach rewarded her performances as a newcomer to the team with a scholarship for her remaining years in Westwood, completing Berlin’s childhood aspirations.
Her sophomore season was another standout year as she helped the Bruins finish fourth at the NCAA Championships with a career-high 9.9 on vault. Following that season, the rod in her leg was removed and she was able to expand her skills.
“It has been the most amazing blessing to get that thing out of there,” Berlin said. “I wouldn’t have been able to train (new skills) with a rod in my leg. I raised the bar because I knew I would be able to train more and get better skills and still compete in the all-around.”
Last year, Berlin received All-Pac-10 honors for the second time in the all-around and was the leadoff competitor for the Bruins on all four events.
The 2009 season looks to be another promising one, as the team began the year with its best start since 2005 last week against Utah with a score of 196.075 and was edged by just one tenth of a point. Berlin, coming off a sore knee, only competed in the uneven bar, but posted a score of 9.825.
Now as a senior leader, Berlin will take that role on to turn the young team into a national power.
“Everyone is going to have falls, everyone is going to have injuries, everyone is going to have something negative going on,” Berlin said. “Just to keep that energy and positivity is what I want to do.”
Dancing into the Future
While still spending a lot of time in the gym, Berlin is still able to pursue dance and entertainment endeavors. The entertainment industry is what Berlin hopes to enter once she graduates with a degree in world arts and cultures with a dance concentration.
Berlin is a part of an all-female b-girl group called World Famous that performs locally. She also enjoys film editing and music mixing. She has put together music for several of the other athletes’ floor routines. She has also worked with a talent agency, and has danced in shows and performed in commercials.
Keeping up with dance has provided Berlin with a strong base for her gymnastics.
“Break dancing and hip-hop have come in handy with gym because I can show my passion through my floor routine,” Berlin said. “(Coach Kondos Field) choreographs our routines around the individual. She is going to take the skills you have and do what she can with it.”
With her busy schedule and big goals, Berlin seems to be ready to take on anything. Rebounding from the accident in 2001 illustrates her impeccable work ethic.
“She’s invincible,” Kondos Field said. “Whatever she puts her mind to she can achieve.”
