Greencastle, Ind. - Current DePauw junior Kate Snouffer has always seen herself as an athlete. Starting in second grade, she was active in gymnastics and went on to compete competitively in high school. However, as she came to DePauw, her career in gymnastics was put on pause, and she began to look for new ways of being active.

"I retired after high school was over, but I knew I wanted to keep moving," Snouffer said, "I need to get creative here and find something else to do. And with cycling, I would ride my bike to the nature park, and now that we have these road bikes all fixed up, I'll go on the back country roads and ride around to do a 10 mile ride or whatever, and that has been really fun, too."

Snouffer's parents are DePauw alumni, so as she began to cycle more she knew a way for her to use it as a means of competition.

"I would hear about Little Five from them, just kind of that tradition. So I knew kind of something about it when I came to DePauw, I didn't know how it worked or anything." Snouffer said.

Even though for her first year, Snouffer was on a two-person team of the standard four-person team, she still gained a lot of experience and aspirations to continue to build on her cycling experience as she would return the following year with a full four-person team.

"I had the best time. Didn't do well by any means, but I had a great time preparing for it." Snouffer said.

Looking back on her transition from gymnastics to cycling, Snouffer had realizations and a lot of lessons from gymnastics that translated into her experience with Little Five.

"When you're in those situations, you learn motivation, determination, how to get back up after falling–literally. And I think that type of mindset has pushed me to try Little Five. So that's a big, like, point of my motivation," Souffer said.

Snouffer also says her experience and lessons from both gymnastics and being on a Little Five team applies to more than just athletics, it helps her in her schoolwork and extracurricular activities as a leader.

"I definitely carry those, not just in athletic endeavors, but even in my leadership, like, I know how to be resilient in high-pressure situations," Snouffer said, "I'm thinking back to those days, and like, it applies everywhere."

When asked about people who stand out as supportive throughout her athletic career, Snouffer mentioned her high school gymnastics coach who she saw as someone who turned the sport around for Snouffer when she was dealing with a lot of pressure.

"She's the toughest person I know." Snouffer said, "I take how she would talk to us, and I apply it to leadership and the Little Five team, trying to hype us up, because I feel like at the end of the day, that's the biggest asset. If your team feels like a family, and you're there to support each other in endeavors and in those hard situations."

Snouffer had two very different experiences when it came to cycling and gymnastics, but didn't let that stop her from diving headfirst into something new.

"I started gymnastics really, really young, and I was kind of, they saw something in me, and so they kind of pushed me," Snouffer said, "...but with little five, that was a real start from the bottom. Had no idea what I was doing, no one to coach me, mentor me. I had the internet, my bike in a dream, and I just went out there."

The growth Snouffer attributes to cycling and Little Five is why she encourages others to try new things, to get active, and to use those as ways to gain skills and experiences unique to sports.

"But looking back, two years ago, I learned so much about how to start from a place where I really don't know anything. And, it's okay to start from those places, because you will learn." Snouffer said. 

Snouffer's advice for any female athletes looking to grow in sports is to trust your body and to keep getting up when you fall down. She views sports as a healthy means of balance and has seen it help her mentally, physically, and emotionally.

"A lot of people are going to tell you that once you start getting older, sports aren't for you or whatnot, or there's more important things. Just stick with sports, because it's really important." Snouffer said.

She also views the uniqueness of Little Five and the support felt during the event as a testament to the support sports have at DePauw, how it connects people despite specific connections, and what sports culture should be for everyone. 

"It's like a whole campus thing. And I wasn't sure how I think, prior to my first time riding in Little Five, I wasn't sure if it would be like everybody is looking, everybody's cheering, or like maybe some people, but a really unique experience was seeing my whole house, these people I've known for maybe like two months at that point coming out to support me and like, see me compete in this thing." Snouffer said, "That is a big testament to what sports is, and how it should be, is that support."