Adi Minor must feel as if she’s snakebitten.
Her freshman year, Minor was among the state’s best in all-four individual events and the all-around. But she broke her leg on the final tumbling pass of the final event in Columbus East’s final regular-season gymnastics meet and missed the postseason.
Last year, Minor stayed healthy and again was among the state’s best but experienced a case of nerves as a first-time state meet participant and finished in a tie for sixth in the all-around.
Now a junior, Minor has the state’s best score on the vault, bars, beam and all-around and the second-best on the floor. But she severely sprained an ankle while warming up for the Olympians’ final regular-season meet and was limited to doing the bars only at the sectional and regional.
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“It was really frustrating,” Minor said. “This is the second time now that I’ve been put out of the postseason, but I’m fortunate enough to be able to compete at state. Being able to compete in only one event has opened my eyes to how much I appreciate this sport and how much I am passionate about it.”
Since the fourth-ranked Olympians advanced as a team, Minor will be able to compete on all four events in Saturday’s state finals at Ball State’s Worthen Arena.
How well the ankle will hold up remains to be seen.
“I am just having faith and looking to the optimistic side of it all,” Minor said. “I have not tried to think of it negative in any way. I’ve just been trying to strengthen it back up. The ankle is improving and has been going up from where it was.”
Minor was injured Feb. 15 before East was to host Owen Valley. She tried to land a new vault — a Yurchenko with a full twist — that they were planning on throwing at the state meet and ended up short and rolled her ankle.
The Olympians will start Saturday’s rotation with the vault. Minor plans to do a straight Yurchenko without the twist.
“It’s tough with an ankle sprain,” East coach Nancy Kirshman said. “Your feet do everything in gymnastics, except on bars, where you only have to do one landing. We’re working well out of it. Thank goodness we’ve had almost three weeks before we have to do anything. We’re hoping that she can put it all back together.”
Last year at state, East started on the bars, and Minor took a big hop on her landing and finished 10th on that event. Unable to recover, she took 23rd on the bars and 11th on the floor before finishing with a fifth-place effort on the vault.
Minor acknowledged that she had a case of nerves.
“I got in my head after bars that I had that mess-up, and I kind of gave up,” Minor said. “I just kind of lost it after that.”
Minor still led the Olympians to a sixth-place team finish. Meanwhile, her best friend, Claire Thompson, won the bars, beam and all-around titles to lead crosstown rival Columbus North to the state team title.
Thompson and Minor had been doing club gymnastics together since they were 2 years old and were always on the same team until high school.
“We’ve kept a really great friendship throughout high school, so it’s been really fun to see her over at North do her stuff,” Minor said. “I miss her a lot, but it’s been awesome to see her do well.”
This year, Minor hopes to be right up there with Thompson.
Minor was able to get in a little practice in the week leading up to last week’s regional. She did a series and a little jumping on the beam and floor last week, but didn’t do any tumbling.
This week, Minor has been going harder on her routines.
“I decided that it’s state meet, and ‘Go big or go home,'” Minor said. “It’s my last one of the season, and I have nothing to lose.”
