When Bayley Humphrey was 7 years old and just starting gymnastics, she didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. She tumbled, she vaulted, she swung on the bars just like everyone else. As time passed and the years went on, she realized that she was built differently from the other girls.
Some of her teammates made comments about it, but Humphrey also noticed the contrasts herself. They were hard to miss. She was always the tallest, the strongest, the most muscular girl in the group.
At Baylor, she learned to lean into and love those differences. Now, the superior strength that made Humphrey a three-time All-American and four-time national champion for Baylor’s acrobatics and tumbling team has busted down the door to several unique opportunities. There’s no telling, you might even see her slamming your favorite wrestler on “WWE Raw” someday in the future.
“It’s amazing,” Humphrey said. “I’m not going to lie, I didn’t think I’d be another athlete after college. I’m so excited.
” Truth be told, that attitude mirrors Humphrey’s feelings when she decided to quit artistic gymnastics just prior to her senior year of high school. Humphrey participated in that style of gymnastics for more than 10 years. She loved it.
Well, maybe except for the balance beam — “That was my least favorite part of practice,” she said, noting that she fell off the beam “all the time.” But after a decade in artistic gymnastics, Humphrey grew burnt out. She needed a .