# @ucdavisgym on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CKmI4d-DjXU
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/13604339-ucdavisgym-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/legacy-do/a4aefb6b31f2f4b30028d1bb7b080f77b92f68f61bf576bdaa4faebe369b8977.jpg
- **Posted:** 2021-01-28T16:48:10.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** UC Davis Gymnastics (@ucdavisgym) — https://gondola.cc/ucdavisgym

## Caption

Meet Aggie gymnastics alumna Holly Balchus Thomas! Holly was on the team from 1994-1997 and graduated with a degree in Sociology. She was the second Aggie ever to score 9.9 on an event and the first ever to score 9.9 on floor. Her record 9.9 from 1996 still holds in the top ten highest floor scores! ✨💙💛

Holly quit competitive club gymnastics her freshman year and was not recruited to the UC Davis gymnastics program out of high school. She started school at UC Davis and joined the stunt team her sophomore year. At the same time, she took a tumbling class from former assistant coach Perry Siu. He noticed her high level gymnastics and when her stunt career ended at the end of the football season, she competed for the Aggie gymnastics team that January!

Holly has always worn many hats and currently teaches kindergarten during the week, judges JO and NCAA gymnastics on the weekends, and is a sales rep for GK Elite Sportswear. Her husband Jamie is also a teacher and they have two kids, Jacob (13) and Paige (10). 

Holly’s fondest memory as a team member was when the coaches had to go dancing with them at The Grad when they accomplished a goal team score. As an individual, her fondest memory was breaking the school record at the time with her 9.9 on floor. 

Now being on the other side as a judge, Holly enjoys giving back to the sport that gave her so many opportunities through the years. She knows what the athletes are going through and appreciates the hard work they put in daily. She enjoys visiting universities where she once competed, seeing how they’ve changed, and reminiscing a bit. One moment Holly will never forget early on in her judging career is giving former Aggie and Hall of Fame member Ericka Ruelas the score on floor that would break her own record. She had to because Ericka deserved it!

#ThisIsWhoWeAre #GoAgs #UCDavis 

•Watching the 2017 alumni meet
•Judging 2016 NorCal State Meet
•Masking up daily to teach kindergarten
•Former Head Coach Ray Goldbar dancing with the team at The Grad
•Competing for the Ags

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- **Likes:** 362
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- **Comments:** 9

## Tags

ucdavis, thisiswhoweare, goags

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