If Morgan Hurd Can Do a Backflip on Beam While Masked, You Can Wear Yours in Public

Wearing a mask may be uncomfortable in certain situations, that’s true. But another truth is that face masks can help protect you and others from COVID-19. That being said, Team USA gymnast Morgan Hurd demonstrated an important message: if she can wear one while flipping on a four-inch-wide beam, you can wear one too (minus the flip).

Hurd, who became the World all-around champion in 2017 and is currently training for the Olympics set for next summer, posted a video on Twitter showing herself doing a backflip with a full twist (aka, a tuck full). To make it even more difficult, she performed the skill on the balance beam (it’s an acrobatic skill in her beam routine). She wrote three word to accompany the video: “wear your mask.”

The 19-year-old doesn’t wear a mask every single time she’s in the gym training, as you’ll see on her Instagram — plus, there are precautions you should take depending on the type of workout done while wearing a face mask — but the point is that she can flip and twist through the air with her mouth and nose covered. You, at the very least, can therefore walk around in public with your own.