Raising the Bar: Gymnastics team aims for placing at state

Then-freshmen Brooklyn Beck was shaking on the beam as her teammate Abby Gorman was pacing back and forth before her floor routine. All of the long practices running laps around the gym, doing ab workouts and perfecting their routines were leading up to this moment — they figured they were a shoe-in for top three at state.

They got fourth.

“It was frustrating because we were so close and we just couldn’t pull through,” Gorman said. “Everyone was disappointed, just because we had higher expectations for ourselves.”

The next two years only led to more disappointment and zero top three places at state. But this year they think they have another shot at state after placing third in their first 14-team meet that featured eight of the teams who will attend state. From this, they’ve gained more confidence as a team and are working harder to be able to place this year.

The varsity team had shrunk from six girls in 2016 to four in 2017 and then down to three last year — the bare minimum number of gymnasts allowed in a team. Fewer people meant they had to be more realistic — they changed their goals from placing at state to just being able to qualify for state. This year, as team captains, the only seniors and the only returning East gymnasts on the team, Beck and Gorman were excited to have six girls on the team again.

“[Having more people has] really helped us be more relaxed at meets,” Beck said. “When there’s only three, all your scores matter every single time so there’s not as much room for error.”

Even though the first meet wasn’t their best performance, the third-place finish gave Beck and Gorman a greater hope for placing at state this year.

“In the beginning, before competitions even started, we were focused on really putting in the work,” Gorman said. “[We were] making sure that all our routines had the right amount of difficulty to be able to score high.”

After their first meet, Beck and Gorman started pushing the team harder. They knew what everyone was capable of and they had a diverse team when it came to the different events — such as Beck specializing in beam while Gorman excels in floor.

In their second meet of the season, they placed second out of six teams. 

Their goal of placing at state has lead them all to work harder at advancing their skills and perfecting their routines. There has to be a balance though — Gorman and Beck want to make sure everyone is having fun while doing their work. 

Gorman is always blasting music from 2010 as they all joke around doing goofy dance moves — all while getting a good work out in. The pull-ups and planks bring them closer, both as a team and to state.

“Every day just brings a new memory for me,” Gorman said. “When you get all of us together, it’s just a bunch of different personalities that it always leads to interesting practices, weird conversations and it’s just so much fun.”