The first stop during former USA Gymnastics VP Luan Peszek's return to campus in 2017?
Where else but Kenney Gym?
"As a gymnast for the Illini, I had daily practice and periodic home meets at Kenney. That old building is near and dear to my heart," says Peszek, who joined USA Gymnastics as publications director in 1988 and rose through the ranks before joining an Indiana consulting firm, where she advises college-bound student-athletes going through the process.
When she saw Kenney again — 31 years after commencement day — "it didn’t disappoint. Although there were a few updates to the building, it looked and smelled the same as I remembered," she says. "It was fun to go back in time and remember my days as a student-athlete at the University of Illinois.
"My other great memories are doing gymnastics in the middle of the Quad on Quad Day; selling merchandise at football games with my teammates; quarter beer night at Cochrane’s; plus long lines and sticky floors at Kam's."
