The year 2018 is an even year, and Adi Minor is hoping that means good health for the rest of her gymnastics season.
The odd years haven’t gone so well for the Columbus East senior. A healthy 2016 season was sandwiched between 2015 and 2017 seasons that resulted in late-season injuries.
Still, Minor was able to recover from a severely sprained ankle to win a state title on the bars last season, but was unable to compete in the all-around. She’s off to a good start this year heading into tonight’s meet against Columbus North.
“I’m actually very happy with the way I started, considering the way I ended (last season) with the injury,” Minor said. “I didn’t know how I’d bounce back because even at state, I was not completely there. I’m just really happy that I’m uninjured right now and that I’m completely healthy and that things are going pretty well.”
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Minor had the state’s best scores in three of the four individual events and the all-around going into the final meet of the 2017 regular season. But in warmups for that meet, she injured her left ankle trying to do a Yurchenko vault with a twist.
Because the bars require only one landing, Minor was able to compete on that event in the sectional and regional. She had hoped to do the all-around at state, but wasn’t able to get much push off the ankle an settled for doing the bars, beam and floor.
Minor tied with Chesterton’s Sophia Hunzelman for first on the bars with a 9.65. She also tied for third on the beam and finished seventh on the floor.
This year, Minor has won all four events, plus the all-around in each of the Olympians’ first two meets. Her all-around scores of 37.8 and 37.9 are a little below last year, when she was consistently in the 38s and even managed a school-record 39.2 in one meet.
“I’m happy with my scores,” Minor said. “They’re good starting scores. I don’t want to go completely out of the park on the first two meets.”
Falls on the bars and floor cost Minor a full point in Tuesday’s meet against Franklin Central. Without the half-point deductions for each fall, she would have had a 38.9.
East coach Nancy Kirshman said Minor is working hard and is right on target to doing all the skills she wants to do.
“Everything is just so solid,” Kirshman said. “It’s a mindset. When you score scores of 9.7 on just about everything, the increment that you can go up is tougher than the girl that scores an 8.6. Now, you’re fine tuning little things, and she is capable of doing all that. She just has to get semi-relaxed in her mind. Pressure is good to some degree, but not a whole lot that it’s taking your focus away.”
Minor, who also has school records on bars (9.85) and floor (9.8), has been doing a Yurchenko vault, but without the twist. She may start adding the twist after tonight’s meet with North.
The Bull Dogs, who won the state title in 2016 and finished second by three-tenths of a point last year, and the Olympians, who took sixth last season, figure to be two of the state’s top teams again this year. Minor and North senior Claire Thompson, who won the state bars, beam and all-around titles in 2016 and the beam last year, are two of the state’s top individuals.
“I love competing against her,” Minor said. “We’re still really good friends, and I love her half to death. She’s awesome, and I’m excited to see her. We’re both competitive, and I miss competing with her, but competing against her makes it even more fun.”
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What: Columbus East vs. Columbus North gymnastics
When: 6:30 p.m. today
Where: Columbus East High School
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