Park’s girls gymnastics team had a successful meet at home Dec. 12. It was the third meet of the season, but the first home meet so far. Park competed against Minneapolis South and took first place out of the two teams.
According to head coach Dawn Thielen, one thing that went well about the meet was the team spirit.
“They were a great team. They were cheering each other on and they were supporting each other,” Thielen said. “It didn’t matter who it was, whether it was a JV girl or a varsity girl, the whole team was there to support them.”
Freshman Isabella Lucas said she enjoys gymnastics because you get to compete as a team, but also for yourself, as well as it being a sport with supportive teammates.
“Not only is it a team sport, but it is also an individual sport,” Lucas said. “Not only are you working hard for yourself, but you also have people cheering you on.”
According to sophomore Veronica Jones, the time commitment for gymnastics is a lot, which can make it hard to balance it with other commitments. However, she said it can still be manageable.
“It’s definitely really hard for me, but I’m surprised that I am balancing myself. Going to practice takes me away from school, and then I immediately come back home and have to do school again,” Jones said. “Yet I have some sort of time in me to let me do it.”
Thielen said she loves to coach because of the joy she sees in her gymnasts as they accomplish their personal goals.
“My absolute favorite part of coaching is the look on somebody’s face when they finally get a skill they’ve been working so hard to get,” Thielen said. “It doesn’t matter if we win or lose; it’s those little moments when they reach those personal goals or achievements.”
Lucas said her favorite routine that she does is her floor routine because of the creative element that it has. She said it’s not for everyone, but she enjoys that you can put feeling into the routine.
“My floor routine is my favorite because you get to express yourself,” Lucas said. “Some girls don’t see it like that, but music is something that I really like to listen to. You get to show off more emotion in it.”
According to Jones, you don’t need prior background in gymnastics to join the team.
“We have a wonderful environment, and so many girls that are new to this. They’re learning so much from this gym,” Jones said. “I believe that you don’t need experience for joining this.”
Lucas said people who are considering joining the team should give it a chance. She said the team is great, and the only way to find out if gymnastics is a good fit is by trying it out.
“If you don’t give it a shot, you’ll never know if you like it or not. Most people probably will like it because the team is really great,” Lucas said. “You get time to yourself to focus on what sorts of things you can do.”
The next girls gymnastics meet is at 6:00 p.m. on Dec. 19 at Bloomington Jefferson High School.
