PORTLAND, Ore. — Mandi Rodriguez's road to success started at the age of seven, 10 years before she committed to become an Oregon State beaver. Her love of gymnastics first started when a coach noticed her watching her sister at gymnastics practice.
"I would watch her every week, take the gymnastics lesson, but I was too shy, too scared," Mandi Rodriguez said.
As she watched practice, her sister's coach noticed her sitting there time after time and encouraged her to give it a try. That first practice, Rodriguez said she cried the whole time because she was scared and didn't like it, but when her mom asked what she thought, she said she wanted to come back the following week.
"I just fell in love with it. Fell in love with the sport," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez grew up in Southern California and spent hours each day practicing in the gym. She started out practicing a few days a week, then nearly every day for up to six hours a day. Getting to practice often meant her mom had to drive her an hour each way through Los Angeles traffic.
"She really steered my whole career, from making different gym changes to helping me sort through the recruiting process and looking at different colleges," Rodriguez said.
Her dad was always her biggest — and sometimes loudest — supporter.
"He stood out, you couldn't miss him. He was so proud and just had so much passion and pride for not just my gymnastics, but for our team as a whole," she said. "You couldn't mistake him, you couldn't miss him in a crowd."
Rodriguez shares her love and pride of her Mexican heritage through her dad's side. He was born in Mexico and immigrated to the U.S. when he was 25 years old. He got married, raised two daughters and worked hard to earn his U.S. citizenship, something Rodriguez said he took pride in.
"Growing up with that kind of dual culture of the two languages and different food, and different exposures to holidays and different things like that was huge for me," Rodriguez said. "I always felt that having dual citizenship and being a part of two countries and such a mixed heritage set me apart and made me really special and it made me feel like I had a different quality about me."
Holding dual citizenship, she competed in both the United States and Mexico. At age 16, she placed sixth at the Mexico National Championships, but an ankle injury kept her from making the Mexico World Championships team.
It was also at age 16 when she was being recruited by colleges around the U.S. and that's when she fell in love with Oregon State University (OSU) during her first official visit. She remembers traveling alone to OSU for the visit to meet with coaches, and her mom told her not to make any decisions just yet. When the visit was over, she called her mom and exclaimed happily, "'Guess what? I committed, I'm a beaver!'"
From 2007 to 2010, Rodriguez was a standout athlete at OSU, and during her four-year career, she earned multiple accolades including the Pac-10 Gymnast of the Year during her junior year in 2009. She tied OSU's record, earning All-American Team honors seven times.
Rodriguez stayed in Oregon after graduating. She and her husband are raising their two children in Oregon, and her Mexican heritage is a big part of their lives.
"It's so important to me to carry on, not only the traditions that I have from my childhood and growing up, but also just teaching them about our history and where our family came from and the importance of my dual citizenship and so their Mexican heritage," Rodriguez said.
In 2023, Rodriguez was inducted into Oregon State's Hall of Fame, cementing her place among some of the greatest athletes to compete in Corvallis.
KGW's Breaking Barriers series features Oregonians making a difference in the world of sports, arts, government, business and more. You'll see stories for Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15-October 15.
