School is back in session, and last year's rookies now find themselves one year older and wiser as they step foot on campus for the first day of the school year. Inside the Lair caught up with the Cal women's gymnastics sophomores to review what their first year in Berkeley was like. Chelsea Shu kicks off this year's Freshman Follow-Up series below, and check back each week for a new Q&A featuring each of the sophomores.

CalBears.com: How did our team retreat in September help you get acclimated to Cal Gymnastics?
Chelsea Shu: The team retreat really helped me to see what our team culture was about. We talked about our goals for the season, and staying with the team for three days straight really helped me to bond with the girls.

CB: What is the biggest lesson you learned from our coaching staff as a freshman?
CS: I think the biggest lesson I learned from the coaching staff was to always give it my all. They really taught me that we might not be perfect all the time, but that we should keep striving to get One Day Better.  

CB: What was your favorite meet? Why?
CS: My favorite meet was the NCAA National Championship. It was an amazing experience getting to compete with all the best teams. Everyone on our team had such great energy and we had so much fun showing off our love for the sport.

CB: What surprised you the most about your freshman year?
CS: What surprised me the most about freshman year was how great it felt to be a part of a team. In club, I always had a team, but we competed individually. During my freshman year, it was an awesome experience to hear everyone cheering so loudly for each person competing. It felt almost like we were willing the person to hit the event because we had so much positive energy.

CB: What was your favorite part about your first year at Cal, and why?
CS: My favorite part about my first year was getting to meet so many people. Cal has such great diversity and it was so amazing to meet people of all backgrounds with such different interests and talents.

CB: What is the most useful thing you learned all year (either in the gym or in the classroom)?
CS: The most useful thing I learned all year was to be open to change. If you can't do that, you will stay stagnant. But If you can be open to change, you will make progress whether it is in the gym, in the classroom, or in daily life.

CB: What is your funniest memory you have from gymnastics during your freshman year?
CS: My funniest memory was doing blindfolded races with a partner during the team retreat. I was partnered with Emily Richardson, and when I took off my blindfold I was so far away from everyone else because I had crawled in the opposite direction than where I was supposed to end up. We laughed so hard afterwards.

CB: What was your favorite class during freshman year, and why?
CS: My favorite class was called Brain, Mind and Behavior. It talked a lot about how the way your brain is made up relates to how you think and act, which I find fascinating. My professor was interesting, and he even brought out a human brain for us to see!

CB: What are you most excited about for next gym season? What are you looking forward to in your academics next year?
CS: I'm so excited to see how far we can push ourselves. Last year we made Nationals for the first time, so we will see how far we can go this year! As for academics, I'm looking forward to pursuing classes that I'm interested in.

CB: What advice would you give to your incoming freshmen teammates?
CS: I would tell them to take things one day at a time. Freshman year goes by so fast and there are so many new exciting experiences. Enjoy it!