PISCATAWAY, N.J. – In the home opener on Jan. 19, Belle Huang posted three scores of 9.800 or better for Rutgers gymnastics, including a career-high 9.925 on floor exercise. However, the sophomore was not done with gymnastics for the day following the college meet. She switched sides of the table from competing to judging the youth meet inside the Livingston Gym.
"My mom saw my interest and passion in gymnastics and she wanted me to do something more with my career," Huang said. "She wanted me to go into the medical field. So she thought a great way to keep me in the sport would be through judging since it's a nice part-time job. And I've been doing it since I was 16. It's something I can do until I'm retired with my other job."
A biological sciences major at Rutgers, Huang was named a NACGC/W Scholastic All-America last season for carrying a GPA of 3.50 or better. She was a straight-A student with honor-roll recognition each semester at Tuscarora High School in Maryland and finished fifth in her graduating class with a 4.71 GPA.
Huang has been involved with gymnastics since age three and won the national championship on balance beam at the 2017 Junior Olympic Nationals held in Indianapolis. As a rookie for the Scarlet Knights in 2018, she qualified for NCAA Regionals as an all-arounder with a regional qualifying score of 38.810 and a high of 39.050.
She has continued competing all four events as a sophomore and was named a Big Ten Gymnast to Watch before the season. Being a judge has helped her in her own gymnastics.
"I feel like all gymnasts know a little bit of basics of productions and everything, but knowing the nitty-gritty details really helps," Huang said. "I can look at my own routines and be like 'oh, I didn't do so great here, I need to improve there, I would've taken this deduction on my own.' So I think it helps that way."
The experience also gives a new perspective.
"Especially in club when I first started it, judging alongside all the judges who judge me, it was nice to see a different side of them when they're not staring down at you," she said. "It helped me in competitions to not be so stressed out and it just helped me relax a little bit, knowing they're normal people too. They're not as scary as it may seem. And same thing now, I'll see some familiar faces and it's just like not as scary as you think it is."
Huang is qualified to judge level nine, but is expected to move up to level 10 once she reaches her 20th birthday. But her peers among judges believe she is ready for the move now despite the age requirement. This is all part of balancing practices, meets, school work and judging, taking advantage of her time at Rutgers. Huang is able to set her own judging schedule based on availability, but it is something she will be able to do long after finishing her time as a competitor to stay involved with the sport.
FULL SOURCE: Scarletknights.com | Belle Huang: Gymnast & Judge