Justin Spring      Birth Date: 03/11/1984 Program: Men's Artistic Level: Senior Residence: Champaign-Urbana, IL Club: University of Illinois Biography Spring helped the U.S. men win the team bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. He won the parallel bars at the 2008 Visa Championships and has two U.S. horizontal bar titles (2005 and 2007). He had reconstructive surgery on his knee after tearing his ACL at the 2007 Visa Championships. Spring was an All-American from 2003-06 at the University of Illinois. As a senior, he won the Nissen-Emery Award and was named the Big 10 Gymnast of the Year. He says his teammates had the most influence on his athletic career because they always kept him motivated. Spring is the son of Woody and Debbie Spring. Woody, a program manager for a defense technology company and a former astronaut, and Debbie, a physical education teacher, were both collegiate gymnasts. His sister, Sarah, attended Ohio State University, where she competed in gymnastics. She is a medical student at Georgetown and plans on a career in internal medicine. Spring is an assistant coach at the University of Illinois, where he plans to get a master's degree in sport management. He has a rat terrier/black lab mix, Oscar, and in his free time, he likes to host cookouts for his friends. Personal Information Hometown: Burke, VA Began Gymnastics In: 1987 How did you get involved?: My parents were both gymnasts and so was my older sister. Putting me in it as well seemed like the right thing to do. Favorite Gymnastics Thing: There is no limit to the sport. There are always new challenges and new things to learn. School: University of Illinois Grade: Graduated in 2006 - Going back to get Master's Major: Communications Interests Outside the Gym Favorite Music/Book: Punk music Favorite TV Show: Entourage, anything on Discovery HD Favorite Food: Good steak and fish. I’ll eat pretty much anything, though. Hobbies: Working around my house, playing with my dog National Competition Results 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Gymnastics, Philadelphia, Pa.: 1st-PB; 2nd-VT; 3rd-HB; 7th-SR; 10th-FX 2008 Visa Championships, Houston, Texas: 1st-PB; 5th-VT(T) 2008 U.S. Men's Qualifier, Colorado Springs, Colo.: 5th-HB; 6th-FX(T) 2007 Visa Championships, San Jose, Calif.: 1st-HB; 2nd-FX 2006 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships, Norman, Okla.: 1st-HB, PB; 2nd-Team, AA; 3rd-FX 2005 Visa Championships, Indianapolis, Ind.: 1st-HB; 3rd-VT 2005 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships, West Point, N.Y.: 1st-PB; 2nd-HB; 3rd-Team 2005 Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.: 1st-HB 2004 Visa Championships, Nashville, Tenn.: 4th-HB 2004 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships, Champaign, Ill.: 1st-HB; 3rd-Team 2004 Winter Cup, Las Vegas, Nev.: 2002 U.S. Championships, Cleveland, Ohio: 3rd-PB 2002 Men's Junior Olympic National Championships, San Diego, Calif.: 2nd-AA, VT 2001 Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.: 2000 John Hancock U.S. Gymnastics Championships, St. Louis, Mo.: 1st-AA, PB, HB; 2nd-PH(T), VT 2000 Men's Junior Olympic National Championships, Austin, Texas: 2000 Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.: 1999 John Hancock U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Sacramento, Calif.: 1st-PB; 2nd-FX; 7th-AA 1999 Men's Junior Olympic National Championships, Houston, Texas: 1998 Men's Junior Olympic National Championships, Battle Creek, Mich.: 1st-PB; 2nd-VT International Competition Results 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing, China: 3rd-Team 2007 Pan American Games, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 1st-PB; 3rd-Team; 6th-HB; 7th-FX 2007 World Cup, Moscow, Russia: 2nd-HB(T) 2006 World Cup, Ghent, Belgium: 6th-PB(T); 8th-HB 2005 World Championships, Melbourne, Australia: 2005 American Cup, Long Island, N.Y.: 2nd-HB(T) 2003 World University Games, Daegu, Korea: FX LEGEND: AA = All Around | FX = Floor Exercise | PH = Pommel Horse | SR = Still Rings | VT = Vault | PB = Parallel Bars | HB = Horizontal Bars | (T) = Tie