Human Emoji, Lolo (people.com, 11 Jul 2016; usagym.org, 2016)

Learning dances off YouTube, doing her nails, reading. (nbcnews.com, 08 Jul 2016)

Athlete, Student

English

Monmouth Gymnastics Academy [United States]

Maggie Haney [personal]; Marta Karolyi [national], ROU (nytimes.com, 03 Jun 2016; theringer.com, 25 Jul 2016)

2016 for United States, in Italy (nbcolympics.com, 08 Jul 2016)

She strained her knee in 2016 and was unable to train for six weeks. (nj.com, 13 Jul 2016)

In June 2014 she dislocated her right kneecap, tore her patella tendon and bruised her medial collateral ligament on a bad vault landing. She required knee surgery and a piece of a cadaver's knee was inserted. She returned to training at the end of 2014. (beamdreams.com, 29 Jul 2014; thegymter.net, 29 Dec 2014)

In January 2014 she fell while practising her beam routine and fractured her wrist. She was unable to trains for six weeks. (beamdreams.com, 31 Jan 2014)

She took up the sport at age six in Old Bridge, NJ, United States of America. (nytimes.com, 03 Jun 2016)

When aged five, her parents tried to enrol her in ballet and dance classes but it failed to hold her attention. "My earliest memory was watching gymnastics on live TV, and wanting to do what the 'big girls' did." (nbcolympics.com, 08 Jul 2016)

US artistic gymnast Shawn Johnson. (teenvogue.com, 08 Jul 2016)

"Go big or go home." (theringer.com, 22 Jul 2016)

General
RELATIONSHIP WITH COACH
At age five she became bored with dance classes and asked her mother if she could take up gymnastics. Her mother obliged and her teacher ended up being her current coach Maggie Haney's sister Carly. "Within six weeks of taking the class Laurie was doing a cartwheel and a split," Laurie's mother Wanda said. "Carly told Maggie [who was also running her own gymnasium] about putting her on a beginner's team with older girls and that's when Maggie began training her." Since that day the relationship between the Hernandez family and Maggie developed into one of complete trust. "Her family have handed their daughter to me. They tell me, 'You tell us where and when and we'll get her there,' and if they can't then I get her there myself," Maggie said. "They're just a positive, happy family who have given me the responsibility of mentoring their youngest daughter. Laurie, quite simply, is like my first born. She sleeps over at my house, she has dinner with my family, we watch movies in my bed and I tuck her in at night. My own daughter calls Laurie her sister." (theguardian.com, 08 Jul 2016)

EDUCATION
She has been home-schooled since the third grade. In December 2014 she committed to the University of Florida for the start of the 2018/19 season.. (nbcolympics.com, 08 Jul 2016; flogymnastics.com, 12 Dec 2014)