Rising Stars: Meet JaNay Honest

Today we’d like to introduce you to JaNay Honest.

JaNay, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born and raised in the Central Valley… in a city called Visalia. In preschool, I was ALWAYS on the playground, specifically the monkey bars. The teachers noticed that I was doing things a little out of the ordinary on the bars, so they went to my parents and suggested they enroll me in gymnastics classes. And right before I turned six, I walked into a club gym for the very first time and it was the best playground ever. I progressed relatively fast, as I didn’t fear trying new skills. As I started improving and getting higher up in the levels, I started watching college/elite gymnastics and the Olympics. I did have a short-lived dream of being an Olympian, but once I turned 12, I decided to focus on college gymnastics.

This was when I attended my first ever college summer gymnastics camp at UCLA, and it immediately became my dream school. I loved everything about UCLA; the campus, the team, the coaches, the LA area, and the dining hall food! Fast forward six years, at UCLA, I competed all four years on vault, bars, and floor. In my sophomore year, at Pac-12 Championships, I became the 2016 Pac-12 Uneven Bars Co-Champion. I earned a scholarship for my senior year. And in 2018, we won the National Championship! And in my senior year, to get the ball rolling for my broadcasting career, I became a host for Bruin Banter, a weekly produced show highlighting the gymnastics season each year.

After graduating from UCLA, I got my first broadcasting gig six months post-grad with Pac-12 Networks. I now work seasonally as an analyst and sideline reporter for Pac-12. I am training dance in LA as well and have appeared and various commercials and a music video.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not at all. I was hindered by injuries and had a little pushback from my club coaches as well. When I told my coaches of my biggest goal – to compete as a Bruin – my coach’s response was how that would be highly unlikely for me. Taken aback, at 12 years old, I used this response to motivate me for the next six years until I graduated from high school. My dream was to compete for UCLA, and I was going to do everything in my power to make that a possibility for myself. I worked on upgrading my skills, refining details to improve my form, and emailed the UCLA coaches competition updates – all while attending the UCLA summer gym camp each year so they could see how hungry I was.

The time came for my unofficial visit and it became evident that there were no more full scholarships available. So I had to decide whether it was best to take a walk-on position or take a scholarship at another school. At this time, I had an idea of what I wanted to do as a career… broadcasting and dance. So studying at UCLA and living in the LA area still seemed like the best path for me and I researched quite a few journalists like Cari Champion to get an idea of what I should major in. My senior year in high school, my club coaches made one last push to encourage me to take one of my scholarship offers, explaining that I had the potential to be a top freshman athlete and compete in the all-around… but that’s not what I wanted. I didn’t care to be a top athlete, I wanted to reach my potential. I knew if I attended UCLA, I would not only be enhanced as an athlete but as a person as well. I wanted to surround myself with former Olympians and elite gymnasts because I knew that would only push me to get even better. After much consideration and visiting other schools, I decided to pass up three full scholarship opportunities and attend UCLA as a walk-on.

As far as injuries, I developed a bone condition called OCD in my knee which led to me having my very first surgery at age 13. I had a relapse from coming back and training too soon, so I had to sit out my freshman year. This season was a crucial time for recruiting. At age 15, in my sophomore year, I had wear and tear damage to my lower lumbar (lower back) that got so bad to the point where I couldn’t bend over to tie my shoes (and I was competing during this time because I sat out last season). I had my second knee surgery in my sophomore year in college and my third and final knee surgery after graduating from UCLA, a cartilage transplant.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As an analyst and sideline reporter, my path to UCLA and my college career gave me a unique perspective in sports broadcasting. I’m able to draw from my own personal experiences and also know exactly what the athletes are experiencing. I also truly like to give athletes depth when talking to or about them. I’ve always liked to think of the phrase “more than an athlete”. There’s no pro gymnastics team, and like many sports, the probability of going pro is on the slimmer side… so I like to know what motivates them and what are their dreams and aspirations outside of sports? What other things are they passionate about? Post-grad depression is a very real thing, especially among student-athletes because it can be very difficult to let go of a sport you’ve dedicated 15+ years to and start back from square one.

For dance, I started dancing and gymnastics at the same time… with most of my focus being on the gym. But I would make time for dance whenever I could, doing recitals in elementary and middle school and auditioning for the high school performance dance team. I was able to perform in rallies and the end-of-year dance shows when it didn’t conflict with a gymnastics competition. I’ve always loved dancing and performing on stage. So once I retired from competitive gymnastics at age 22, I missed the performance aspect of competing and performing on the floor exercise. And also just the push of perfecting my craft. Dance has always been a passion of mine, and now that I have the time to commit to the training, I just went for it! Training roughly 3-4 times a week in different styles such as heels, jazz funk, hip hop, contemporary, and dancehall. I’ve booked some jobs thus far, and even though it’s really cool to book gigs, you’ll always see me in class just because I enjoy it so much.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I do see more and more women in sports! Which is very exciting. Not only does it bring diversity, but it also brings fresh new voices and perspectives. Time and time again, I have seen women do the work, put in the hours, and continue to make statements as strong voices in media, such as improving the quality of interviews and the questions being asked. Ensuring that the person being interviewed is heard and making sure they feel seen. As the media continues to evolve, I see more outlets and platforms emerging to create spaces for people to tell their stories, all while creating opportunities for those who would like to get involved in media through mentorship. Whether that be print/radio/tv/production. I believe there’s huge importance in mentorship, inspiring, and helping the next generation to elevate. As veterans in the game can use their expertise to guide them along the way. To create a space that’s not competitive, but encouraging, because we all can have something to contribute.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janayhonest
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janay-honest-491220139/
• Other: https://hoo.be/janayhonest?fbclid=PAAaYAqa8a6pkSiJ4FPMsroDECRn1m7bJ73d3iE6LROUAMJ2HNVbOsoRGmM2M

Image Credits
Jeremy David Creative – Headshot Photos (wearing black) Kristie-Valerie Hoang – photo of me with my hands on the bar