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Oswego junior Ava Sullivan wasn’t sure what to expect last season when classmate Sam Phillip persuaded her to try high school gymnastics.
But things turned out pretty well as both qualified for the state meet and barely missed advancing to the finals on floor exercise, even though Sullivan is still fuzzy on the details.
“Last year I was just trying to dip my toe in the water, see what high school gymnastics is like,” Sullivan said. “I don’t really remember any of the state experience from last year.
“It’s like I blacked out or something.”
And now?
“I am in the deep end,” Sullivan said. “I dove headfirst.”
Both Sullivan and Phillip are climbing the ladder toward establishing themselves among the state elite. They finished ninth and 12th, respectively, in the all-around competition at Friday’s state meet in Palatine, and both qualified for the finals on floor.
Oswego coach Michael Burge was thrilled for the pair.
“It’s the first time in 20-plus years we’ve had two in the finals,” Burge said. “They’ve both matured a lot as athletes.
“Their composure is at high-pressure settings. They’ve gotten really good at releasing the pieces they can’t control. I’ve been pleased with that.”
So have the gymnasts, who are enjoying the competition more than ever.
“Last year was more stressful, I think, because me and Ava weren’t really that close,” Phillip said. “But this year is so much different because we’ve created a bond with each other to do our best.
“It helps a lot.”
Sullivan and Phillips have become friends as well as teammates. They feed off of each other’s energy.
“They both push each other in a really healthy way,” Burge said. “It’s not just, ‘Let me be my best.’ It’s, ‘Let us be our best,’ and you can really see that in training.
“You go in the gym, and you see the temperature is pulled up significantly.”
The pressure to perform ratchets up significantly at the state meet, especially in the event finals, where the gymnasts compete one at a time and all eyes are on the individual.
Phillip experienced that once before, when she took 10th on vault as a freshman. But this was Sullivan’s first time competing under that glare, so she was glad to have Phillip with her.
“It’s comfort,” Sullivan said. “Because I can’t imagine how I would be if I was here alone. I would drive myself up the wall, like go insane. It’s really helpful to have somebody out there with you.”
The floor finals were especially sweet for Sullivan and Phillip because they ended up performing back-to-back. Sullivan was the second of 11 competitors, scoring 9.0. Phillip followed with a 9.35.
Phillip finished seventh and Sullivan was ninth. Vernon Hills senior Annika Chudy took the title with a 9.675.
“It was really exciting,” Sullivan said. “It’s a really fun experience, especially having a teammate with you, and we went right after each other, which was great.”
The top 5 finishers in each event earn a medal. Only two Oswego gymnasts — sisters Tiffany and Jessica Bell in the late 1990s — have accomplished that.
“I’m very happy,” Phillip said. “Next year we’ll try to go higher and be on the podium. My goal is to get somewhere on the podium in anything.”
Burke has an additional goal. He wants to see the Panthers qualify as a team, something they haven’t done since 2002.
“We do not graduate any varsity gymnasts,” Burke said. “The plan is to run it back one more time in about 12 months, and hopefully, we bring a few more people along with us.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
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