Why I'm Excited for 2016

While 2015 gave me many unforgettable experiences, from going to Florida and Disney World for the first time to meeting To Write Love on Her Arms founder Jamie Tworkowski, that year is in the past, and it's time to look forward to what the new year will bring. Here are a few reasons (unique to the year) why I'm excited for 2016.

The Olympics!

To be completely honest, when the clock changed from 11:59 on New Year's Eve to 12:00 on New Year's Day, my first thought was, 'THE OLYMPICS ARE THIS YEAR!' It was even part of my first tweet this year.

IT'S THE OLYMPIC YEAR! 😃😄😃😄😃 #HappyNewYear #Rio2016 #ready

— Amanda Wijangco (@amanda_carmela) January 1, 2016

As a gymnastics fanatic, the Olympic year is arguably the most exciting year for the sport and its fans. When else am I going to be able to easily watch so many talented gymnasts from all over the world? It's not just artistic gymnastics, either, which I watch the most often.

There's rhythmic and trampoline, as well. Those disciplines definitely don't get much exposure on TV coverage any other year. I want to learn more about the less popular disciplines of the sport, so the Olympics are great for that! And with the actual Olympic games comes Olympic trials, which means even more gymnastics!

While I'm mainly excited for the Olympics because of gymnastics, I'm also excited for other sports, like volleyball and beach volleyball, and just the overall experience and feel of the worldwide sporting event. It's so cool to see athletes from all over the world come together because of sports.

My favorite gymnast is competing again!

If you know me well enough or have seen a blog post I did in November 2014, then you know my favorite gymnast is Sarah Finnegan. Finnegan is currently a gymnast at LSU, but she was an elite gymnast who was the alternate to the gold-medal-winning 2012 U.S. Women's Gymnastics Team, aka the Fierce Five. 

She hasn't really competed since 2012, so this year is the first year gymnastics fans finally get to see her compete again. As shown in her elite days, she's known for her elegance and artistry, especially on beam and floor, but she's also known for this really cool turn that she does. It's a triple wolf turn, which is basically try to turn three times while squatting. It's an Olympic-level skill, so it's rare to see in the NCAA, where execution is valued over difficulty. Finnegan does is so well, though, that it's not surprising to see that she kept the skill in her routine.

@sfinnegan37 this turn 😀 pic.twitter.com/RgYO8aLhIn

— kathryn (@kay1545) January 10, 2016

As I'm writing this, she completed her collegiate debut and earned a 9.850 for her uneven bars routine and a 9.925 for her unique balance beam routine. Those are awesome scores, especially her beam, so I'm just so excited to see her compete more and grow as an LSU Tiger! (Oh, and she hasn't even competed on floor on in the all-around yet!)

I'm going to meet Doug McDermott!

This Saturday, my sister and I are going to a meet and greet to meet Doug McDermott, who currently plays for the Chicago Bulls. I'm not a huge basketball/NBA fan, but if I had to pick a favorite sport from "the big four," it would be basketball. McDermott may be relatively new in the league, but he's definitely one of my favorite players (though my favorites are usually just based off who my sister likes). I've never met an NBA player before, so this is super exciting! Also, this gives me an opportunity to use one of my Christmas presents, the Fujifilm Instax Mini, so I can immediately have a physical photo with McDermott! 

It's still only January, so I'm not really sure what else I'm going to do or what I'll have planned for the rest of the year. But there are endless possibilities as to what could happen. I'm looking to get a summer internship, so if I do, that could lead to exciting opportunities. In the fall, I will be beginning my final year of undergrad, and who knows what that will bring!

Why are you excited for 2016?