UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Some of life's greatest blessings aren't made possible without the bumps in the road along the way.
Aside from working on his competitive ability in the gym, sophomore Kaleb Booth has spent most of his first season with the Penn State men's gymnastics program getting acquainted with his teammates and adjusting to his new life in State College.
In his freshman season, Booth was at University of Illinois at Chicago, where he competed on floor and vault in 10 meets, including the NCAA Championships.
In the fall of that season, however, Booth and his teammates received the shocking news that both the men's and women's gymnastics programs at their school were going to be discontinued at the end of the year due to the rising costs of funding collegiate athletics.
"Originally, I didn't really think about transferring and was just thinking about continuing my education there," Booth said. "But after going through the season, I thought my gymnastics started developing more and I was getting better at being more consistent, so I started reaching out to coaches."
Ironically, Booth actually shares some common ground with his new head coach Randy Jepson.
Jepson competed for three years at the University of Oregon and was an NCAA finalist on the rings his sophomore year. He transferred in 1982, when the Ducks dropped their gymnastics program as well, making his journey to Happy Valley quite similar to Booth's.
"I had about a week to decide if I was just going to stay there and not do gymnastics or if I was going to transfer somewhere and Penn State had an opportunity for me," Jepson said. "It's an unfortunate consequence at the end of the day, but it turned out to be a great blessing for me and I'm hoping that it will be the same for Kaleb."
Going from sightseeing in the Windy City to living in a rural area with Penn State traditions such as the 'White Out" football game and THON can be a somewhat difficult transition for anybody, but it has been Booth's character that has eased the move for him.
"He's got a great sense of humor right off the top," Jepson said. "That just makes training and the change that much better. He has a great work ethic and he's a team guy."
"I didn't see much corn and beans in Illinois, more concrete jungle and wind," Booth said. "I do miss the city and the skyline but the campus is beautiful here and I'm enjoying it."
Not to mention, it was also Booth's ability in the classroom that granted him the opportunity to transfer to Penn State.
"The transfer situation at Penn State is difficult, especially the farther along you get into your studies," Jepson said. "But he had done well in school, and it was a match for his major. He was just a really good fit."
It is also because of these same qualities that Booth's new teammates have welcomed him with open arms.
"As soon as I got here they accepted me in the team culture and it was great," Booth said.
"His personality is just a really good fit for our team," Jepson said. "They all joke around and have a great time together. He's always got a remark to come back at people with and it's just fun banter."
In terms of his skill as a gymnast, Booth actually came to Penn State without many flaws in his floor routine, but is still looking to develop his strength and mental game over the next two years.
"He has a pretty difficult floor routine, so we didn't really have to teach him anything when he got here," Jepson said. "Raising his fitness level is something we've worked on, but I think his confidence is going to improve as he goes out and competes and gets better and better."
"I definitely feel like my form has gotten a lot better," Booth said. "All of the other guys around me who have been pushing me to be better and make the lineup has been really good for my gymnastics."
