Even though Reagan Mount is only a sophomore, she is one of Columbus East’s most experienced returning gymnasts.
Coming off her freshman season, Mount is striving for a big year this season for the Olympians. Team-wise, they’re off to a great start, but they will face their biggest challenge this season when they host crosstown rival Columbus North at 6:30 p.m. today.
“I feel a lot more confident on the skills that I’m doing this year,” Mount said. “I’m starting upgrade a lot more things now.”
Mount is no stranger to gymnastics. She picked up the sport when just was 3 years old and started competing at age 5. Prior to high school, she competed in club gymnastics at Jody’s Gymnastic Zone until she was about 10, then moved to Victory Gymnastics Academy.
Mount has been one of the taller gymnasts under coach Nancy Kirshman’s reign the past several years.
“She’s been doing a lot better, but she needs to be a little more aggressive. She’s very tall, and it’s very hard for a tall gymnast, but she’s been a gymnast since she was young, and therefore, she can transition through,” Kirshman said. “It’s very hard for someone as tall as she is to do gymnastics on any of the events.”
Regardless of her height, Mount is one of the Olympians’ most experienced gymnasts, alongside juniors Elise LaSell and Taylen Lane. The rest of the lineup consists of mostly freshmen and sophomores.
“We coach them along, and we give them a few pointers and guide them through it to help along the way,” Mount said. “Our coach can’t see everything they do, so we have to step up and help them along since they are not as used to this like we are.”
Mount hopes to reach her all of her goals for this season.
“I mainly want to improve my scores from last year and from meet to meet, Seeing progress and practicing my stuff knowing I did this a little better than I did the last time,” Mount said. “I think we are mainly focusing on taking it one meet at a time, through sectional, through regional. We hope to get to state.”
Kirshman also hopes Mount can make an impact this season.
“She’s been doing a very good job,” Kirshman said. “She was very quiet last year, and she has somewhat come out of that shell a little bit. She knows most of these girls, but she was still pretty quiet. I think she’s done a better job this year, and she does all four events. It’s tough and probably the toughest one for her right now is the uneven bars to get her body to pass through the two bars without hitting them, but she’s done a pretty good job.”
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Columbus North at Columbus East gymnastics
When: 6:30 p.m. today
Where: Columbus East High School
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