George Washington University Athletics
Beyond the Buff and Blue: Alex Zois
5/15/2019 12:12:00 PM | Gymnastics, My GW: Celebrating our Stories
Zois persevered to lead GW gymnastics
As the fans started to pour in and LSU's Pete Maravich Assembly Center sprang to life, Alex Zois paused her warmup to soak in the scene and consider the moment.
There was a possibility a gymnastics career that started when she was five years old might end here in the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional Championship.
"I realized there was no point in letting it freak me out," Zois said. "Because if it was going to be my last meet, it should be fun."
Zois carried that perspective to spectacular results throughout her fifth and final season in Buff and Blue, capped by the early April night in which she led the Colonials in three of four events on the national stage.
Zois was unfazed by the most pressure-packed moments because she'd already endured so much. A tough journey through two career-threatening knee injuries helped the Maryland native learn to appreciate every step of the way.
After a scary setback cut short her 2018 season, Zois put in the work to get back to full strength and eventually emerge better than ever to take 2019 EAGL Gymnast of the Year honors.
As she wraps up her graduate certificate in Emergency Management and Public Health, Zois has assured her place among the top gymnasts in GW history by demonstrating a commitment to excellence in the face of adversity. She credits the support system created by veteran head coach Margie Foster-Cunningham with giving her the tools to unlock success in competition and beyond.
"Margie and the other coaches, they just push you to be the best you can be," Zois said. "I feel like they see your potential, even sometimes when you don't necessarily see it. Because of them, I think I grew a lot more here than I would've in another program."
The values Foster-Cunningham prizes are never far from mind in the GW gymnastics program. Motivational slogans adorn the walls of the Colonials' practice gym, and they're the same ideas that are stressed daily in team huddles and repeated as part of meet-day traditions.
Zois has leaned on that wisdom – particularly the GW gymnastics attitude statement that all of Foster-Cunningham's newcomers memorize – to navigate an at-times difficult road.
"Memorizing the attitude statement seems a little silly at the very beginning, but you don't realize you really do kind of think about it when things aren't going your way," Zois said. "Everybody's going to encounter a challenge, but it's really just how you can turn it around and have it work in your favor."
Zois' first major speed bump came back in January 2015 when she suffered a season-ending knee injury warming up on floor before what was to be her debut meet at Maryland.
She bounced back to be an All-EAGL contributor on bars and beam in 2016 and 2017 before making enough progress with her floor routine to compete in the all-around last season.
Zois was amidst a career year for a veteran squad with lofty goals when her season was abruptly ended by another injury.
After posting a personal-best all-around score in GW's Senior Day win over Pittsburgh and West Virginia, her surgically-repaired knee started to swell. Tests revealed an infection that set in motion a harrowing chain of events.
Zois was rushed into surgery to clean out the infection before spending six days in the hospital to ensure it was gone.
While GW made its postseason push, she was at home watching on a laptop with a tube connected to her leg to pump in antibiotics.
"It was so sad," Zois said. "I really wanted to be there for my teammates."
Just like that, Zois was on the comeback trail again, unsure when or if she could get back to her top form.
She dove into her rehabilitation last summer, even showing her physical therapist videos of the skills she needed to be able to do with a return to the all-around in mind.
Slowly but surely, the targeted workouts inched her toward real gymnastics. She remembers the glee of her first back handspring step out in July, an incredibly basic maneuver that felt like a milestone worthy of celebration.
Zois' return to GW practice a couple months later provided a major mental challenge. It wasn't easy to follow her week-by-week plan, while her teammates were speeding into meet shape.
Zois finally felt on track when she put together her full program for the first time at the annual intrasquad meet in early January the week before the season-opening Lindsey Ferris Invitational.
"With all the obstacles that I've encountered, I think it taught me resilience," Zois said. "You know that you're going to get there, but the road there isn't fun sometimes."
In the face of that struggle, Zois put together an amazing season to lead a youthful squad back to NCAA Regionals.
She topped the EAGL all-around standings from start to finish, posting 12 scores of 39.000 or better with nine first-place finishes. She was the only EAGL gymnast to earn All-Conference First Team honors for all four events and the all-around.
As the season went on, Zois wasn't able to practice much as the daily rigor of drilling elite skills took its toll on her body. Yet, she always found a way to be ready to go on meet day.
That was never more evident than in the lead up to the EAGL Championships. After watching most of the practice day at New Hampshire, she went out and won the all-around title to help GW finish runner-up.
"She just had this tremendous amount of internal fortitude and fight that she did with such grace," Foster-Cunningham said. "Our team got to witness how a leader handles adversity. It was just so cool to see how collected she was and how focused she was and how she could just dial it in when we needed her to compete."
Zois' strong showing there and in two rounds of NCAA competition were understandably gratifying after missing the postseason last spring, but she said she was more excited about her role in helping the Colonials blossom at the right time.
GW's stay at the Baton Rouge Regional, especially its opening-round win over Lindenwood, showcased the squad's progress and provided its fifth-year captain a slew of unforgettable memories.
"The energy got bigger and bigger and bigger with each rotation," Zois said. "There's nothing like screaming until you feel like you're going to pass out, and then you look up and realize that you did it."
With her gymnastics career complete, Zois looks ahead to the next challenge.
A three-time All-EAGL Scholastic Team member and two-time Academic All-American, Zois earned her GW degree in Exercise Science before adding the graduate certificate. She's scheduled to take the MCAT exam this summer with hopes to attend medical school.
Foster-Cunningham is excited to follow along.
"She's going to do big things," the veteran coach said. "Because she's someone who knows how to adapt, she knows how to come back and she knows that success isn't a straight line. Those are the things that when you take them out into the world you can really make a difference."
There was a possibility a gymnastics career that started when she was five years old might end here in the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional Championship.
"I realized there was no point in letting it freak me out," Zois said. "Because if it was going to be my last meet, it should be fun."
Zois carried that perspective to spectacular results throughout her fifth and final season in Buff and Blue, capped by the early April night in which she led the Colonials in three of four events on the national stage.
Zois was unfazed by the most pressure-packed moments because she'd already endured so much. A tough journey through two career-threatening knee injuries helped the Maryland native learn to appreciate every step of the way.
After a scary setback cut short her 2018 season, Zois put in the work to get back to full strength and eventually emerge better than ever to take 2019 EAGL Gymnast of the Year honors.
As she wraps up her graduate certificate in Emergency Management and Public Health, Zois has assured her place among the top gymnasts in GW history by demonstrating a commitment to excellence in the face of adversity. She credits the support system created by veteran head coach Margie Foster-Cunningham with giving her the tools to unlock success in competition and beyond.
"Margie and the other coaches, they just push you to be the best you can be," Zois said. "I feel like they see your potential, even sometimes when you don't necessarily see it. Because of them, I think I grew a lot more here than I would've in another program."
The values Foster-Cunningham prizes are never far from mind in the GW gymnastics program. Motivational slogans adorn the walls of the Colonials' practice gym, and they're the same ideas that are stressed daily in team huddles and repeated as part of meet-day traditions.
Zois has leaned on that wisdom – particularly the GW gymnastics attitude statement that all of Foster-Cunningham's newcomers memorize – to navigate an at-times difficult road.
"Memorizing the attitude statement seems a little silly at the very beginning, but you don't realize you really do kind of think about it when things aren't going your way," Zois said. "Everybody's going to encounter a challenge, but it's really just how you can turn it around and have it work in your favor."
Zois' first major speed bump came back in January 2015 when she suffered a season-ending knee injury warming up on floor before what was to be her debut meet at Maryland.
She bounced back to be an All-EAGL contributor on bars and beam in 2016 and 2017 before making enough progress with her floor routine to compete in the all-around last season.
Zois was amidst a career year for a veteran squad with lofty goals when her season was abruptly ended by another injury.
After posting a personal-best all-around score in GW's Senior Day win over Pittsburgh and West Virginia, her surgically-repaired knee started to swell. Tests revealed an infection that set in motion a harrowing chain of events.
Zois was rushed into surgery to clean out the infection before spending six days in the hospital to ensure it was gone.
While GW made its postseason push, she was at home watching on a laptop with a tube connected to her leg to pump in antibiotics.
"It was so sad," Zois said. "I really wanted to be there for my teammates."
Just like that, Zois was on the comeback trail again, unsure when or if she could get back to her top form.
She dove into her rehabilitation last summer, even showing her physical therapist videos of the skills she needed to be able to do with a return to the all-around in mind.
Slowly but surely, the targeted workouts inched her toward real gymnastics. She remembers the glee of her first back handspring step out in July, an incredibly basic maneuver that felt like a milestone worthy of celebration.
Zois' return to GW practice a couple months later provided a major mental challenge. It wasn't easy to follow her week-by-week plan, while her teammates were speeding into meet shape.
Zois finally felt on track when she put together her full program for the first time at the annual intrasquad meet in early January the week before the season-opening Lindsey Ferris Invitational.
"With all the obstacles that I've encountered, I think it taught me resilience," Zois said. "You know that you're going to get there, but the road there isn't fun sometimes."
In the face of that struggle, Zois put together an amazing season to lead a youthful squad back to NCAA Regionals.
She topped the EAGL all-around standings from start to finish, posting 12 scores of 39.000 or better with nine first-place finishes. She was the only EAGL gymnast to earn All-Conference First Team honors for all four events and the all-around.
As the season went on, Zois wasn't able to practice much as the daily rigor of drilling elite skills took its toll on her body. Yet, she always found a way to be ready to go on meet day.
That was never more evident than in the lead up to the EAGL Championships. After watching most of the practice day at New Hampshire, she went out and won the all-around title to help GW finish runner-up.
"She just had this tremendous amount of internal fortitude and fight that she did with such grace," Foster-Cunningham said. "Our team got to witness how a leader handles adversity. It was just so cool to see how collected she was and how focused she was and how she could just dial it in when we needed her to compete."
Zois' strong showing there and in two rounds of NCAA competition were understandably gratifying after missing the postseason last spring, but she said she was more excited about her role in helping the Colonials blossom at the right time.
GW's stay at the Baton Rouge Regional, especially its opening-round win over Lindenwood, showcased the squad's progress and provided its fifth-year captain a slew of unforgettable memories.
"The energy got bigger and bigger and bigger with each rotation," Zois said. "There's nothing like screaming until you feel like you're going to pass out, and then you look up and realize that you did it."
With her gymnastics career complete, Zois looks ahead to the next challenge.
A three-time All-EAGL Scholastic Team member and two-time Academic All-American, Zois earned her GW degree in Exercise Science before adding the graduate certificate. She's scheduled to take the MCAT exam this summer with hopes to attend medical school.
Foster-Cunningham is excited to follow along.
"She's going to do big things," the veteran coach said. "Because she's someone who knows how to adapt, she knows how to come back and she knows that success isn't a straight line. Those are the things that when you take them out into the world you can really make a difference."
Players Mentioned
All-Around
/ GymnasticsGW Gymnastics Senior Meet
Sunday, February 27
Pink Meet
Sunday, February 06
GW Gymnastics Lindsey Ferris Meet
Sunday, January 16
Buff & Blue Forever: Anna Warhol
Friday, May 07