Sophina DeJesus, a senior at UCLA, finished her gymnastics floor routine at Pauley Pavilion against Utah, and the crowd started demanding a score of 10 from the judges. The video of DeJesus’ performance was posted to YouTube on Feb. 6, 2016, and has gone viral, receiving over 11 million hits since then.
The announcers for Pac-12 Network theorize that the reason for DeJesus’ success may be partially attributed to her background in dance. The UCLA player profile on DeJesus states that she was a dancer on the television show “Hip Hop Harry.” In the Hip Hop International competition, she and her dance team took first.
In the interview with Pac-12, DeJesus mentions that the three things she took to as a child were dance, acting and gymnastics. UCLA states that DeJesus was a member of the U.S. National Team in 2009, and since that time has placed in bars, beam, uneven bars, floor and all-around.
Although DeJesus did not get the 10 that was demanded by the crowd, she did receive a 9.925 for her routine, matching her career high. No doubt is left that DeJesus has skill as a gymnast and as a performer. Many commented on YouTube how much fun she had doing her routine. The excitement of the performer spilled over to the crowd and captivated the audience both in the stands and those who watched via the Internet.
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