There comes a time when many athletes wish for music to accompany an athletic competition, like a background playlist. Gymnasts, unlike most other athletes, are afforded that luxury.

Although most athletes can only create playlists of their favorite pump-up songs to get focused during pre-game, gymnasts integrate music into their performance.

Assistant coach and team choreographer Amy Smith lends the gymnastics team a helping hand in the process of selecting music and implementing it into their routine.

“The song is something that should be feeding them,” Smith said. “When I choose music and a routine for the kids, it’s one of those things where I’m not going to force someone to do a certain routine. If they love it and have a connection to it, they’re going to perform it ten times better, because it will feed them and enhance the performance.”

Each player has an identity of her own and personal preferences when it comes to routine music, something made evident after discussing the topic with the gymnasts themselves.

Sophomore Tori Howard performs to a variety of different songs from “West Side Story.”

“I’m better dancing to very showy music that I can smile a lot and get into,” Howard said. “It helps me get into character while performing. The music helps a lot because it allows you to really get into the routine.”

Freshman Taylor Medrea recognizes the importance of having the right music for a routine.

“The music keeps you on key,” Medrea said. “It’s all about staying on top of the music and hitting the right poses at the right time.”

Medrea performs to dramatic, classical pieces that contain violins. For her, routine music choice is a reflection of personality.

“It’s how my attitude is,” Medrea said. “I’m not really the hip-hop, smiley type. I like to hit hard poses, and show my personality off by giving judges attitude.”

Like the majority of the squad, junior Allie Heizelman also performs to classical music because it fits in with the tempo of her performance.

And in addition to being a reflection of personality, Heizelman said having the right music playing can be the difference between recovering from a fault, and that fault ruining the routine.

“If you make a mistake during your first pass you have to get back up because the music is going exactly the same as it always is,” Heizelman said. “So you have to dance like you always do and finish the routine the way you know how to.”