Miguel Vicente-Marino (born 1980) is based at the University of Valladolid, Spain, where he focuses on audience studies, public opinion, environmental communication and qualitative research methods. Miguel serves as a member of the Executive Board of ECREA since 2016 and, prior to that, he was Secretary of the Executive Board. Currently, he is also the Vice President of the Trampoline Gymnastics Technical Committee of the International Gymnastics Federation.
How did you start to be involved in gymnastics?
I used to practice Trampoline Gymnastics when I was a child in Ourense, in the Northwest of Spain. I trained there until I moved to Santiago de Compostela to follow my BA in Journalism: this transfer meant my farewell as a gymnast, but also my starting point as a judge. I would have never imagined that this decision, which was taken exclusively because of academic circumstances and priorities, was actually opening a door to such a story with my sport…
What would you say is your biggest achievement in gymnastics?
I was only a good gymnast at the Spanish national level, so I cannot claim any big merit in that matter. All my main achievements came as an outcome of my judging activity. Being elected to act at the Olympic Games is a milestone that meant my childhood dream came unexpectedly true. As a global media event, any Olympic Games is also an opportunity to partially see the other side of the bright lights and the amazing performances.
What is different in gymnastics from your academic career? And what is similar?
Both activities are based on an external and internal requirement to constantly improve your performance, physical and intellectual. As judged activities, gymnasts, judges and researchers are always reviewed. Sports must teach you to win and, even more important, to lose: this realistic approach to any defeat is something to be kept in mind whenever you face any academic evaluation. No one likes to have an article declined or a rejected project, but it is important to understand that your career (both in sports and, even more, in academia) is a marathon, instead of a short 100 metre sprint. Overcoming difficulties and developing resilience are common to most of human life, and sports and research can sometimes help in acquiring those skills.
Does this task conflict with your academic work, such as missing deadlines or having to choose between events?
It is always hard to combine parallel worlds, and it is even more important to incorporate family commitments to this equation. Consequently, there are projects that you need to refuse and sadly
there are times when I simply cannot meet my expectations. I tried to be active and useful in the three sides of this triangle (family, academia and sport), but you cannot do that all the time: I always feel upset when I cannot reach my commitments, as they are the evident outcomes of inefficient planning on my side damaging other people.Most of my work on Trampoline Gymnastics can be conducted online, but there are 3-4 weeks around the year when I need to be on-site, at national and international events, and this makes it more difficult to keep my involvement in academic projects. I must admit that I have always received solid support from my colleagues when these collisions are occurring.
Would you recommend your hobby to other academics?
Most academics are involved in evaluation processes very often, so I’m sure they are ready to also judge sporting performances. Trampoline Gymnastics might be too fast a sport to get started with in terms of judging, but it can turn into a challenge! I’m aware of other Media and Communication scholars interested in Gymnastics, so this could a stimulating activity outside from lectures and publications…
Ana Jorge
Photo 1: Miguel Vicente at the Olympic Games in London in 2012
Photo 2: Miguel during the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016
