Catching Up with Former Lake Forest Gymnastics Star Danny Berardini

One of the most accomplished men’s junior gymnasts in Lake Forest history, took his talents to the University of Oklahoma last fall.

A fifth-place finisher in parallel bars and still rings at the 2009 Junior Olympic National Championships as a 15-year-old, the 5-foot-8 Berardini placed fourth in the still rings in the junior division of the 2011 VISA Championships.

After completing a stellar freshman year of college, Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Patch caught up with the 2011 graduate and asked him about life in Norman, Okla., recovering from a scary fall and the NBA Finals. 

How is your summer going?

It’s going great. I was home in Lake Forest after classes ended and came back to Norman on June 9. I’m taking a class right now, an online economics class for my business major. I’ll take another class from July until August, statistics. There’s also summer workouts, but they're not too intense.

You had a heck of a first season at Oklahoma. You were a freshman All-American and finished third in the parallel bars in the National Championships last winter.

I had a good season looking back on it. The first couple of meets I struggled. Part of it was adjusting to college-level gymnastics, but things clicked for me. Competing in parallel bars and high bars, I did what I can do to help my team and put us in a good position. Going in I knew I had a lot of talent and could put it together. Parallel bars was always my best event. Two guys who were ahead of me had messed up going into the final routine. I just needed to do a good routine. I landed and gave a little smile, and my coach gave me a little hug. To finish third in parallel bars is an incredible accomplishment as a freshman. I wanted to be All-American, and it was special to me to live up to that goal.

The previous winter, you fell during a high bar routine at the Winter Cup in Las Vegas. How were you able to put that behind you and have such a terrific first college season?

When that happened, it was scary for me. That hadn’t happened before, a fall like that. I had little problems here and there with the high bar, even this year coming in, but I knew I needed to step up as the team needed me. I was nervous at times during practice as that had never happened before. You start thinking too much. You can’t overthink things, you just have to clear your mind. It didn’t become an issue after that. 

Do you consider trying out for the Olympics this year? The National Championships were in St. Louis in early June.

I had a wrist injury that’s been bugging me throughout the season, and I stopped training for the pommel (horse) and floor. I wasn’t training for the all-around, so there was no point in training for nationals. Even if I went there, I wouldn’t have made the national team. I would have gone just for the meet. What I need to do is get ready for next season. 

What’s been the biggest adjustment to being a college athlete? 

The change from club gymnastics to college is huge. In club, you compete every two or three weekends. In college, you compete every weekend, a meet against teams in conference or you have tri and dual (meets). For me it’s so exciting and it’s so much more fun to have your team supporting you. There’s more energy in competition. And you have morning workouts at 6:15 in the morning twice a week. They are quick workouts and you are exhausted, then you have to go to class after that so you have to adjust. This was the best choice for me, the coaching staff is awesome, the guys are my family, always there to support me. Having them there for me makes it easier.

I know you are a big basketball fan. You live in Oklahoma now, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are in the NBA Finals. 

When Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook came here, I was like, ‘This team is awesome’ and I started following them a little bit and it kept growing. I wear a Kevin Durant shirt during the games. KD all the way. I’m going hard for Thunder.

OK, but we have to know. If the Bulls were playing the Thunder, who would you root for?

I’d be going for the Bulls. I’ll always be a Bulls fan. That will never change.

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