Columbus East’s Cami Warren competes on the uneven bars in a gymnastics meet against Seymour at Columbus East High School in Columbus, Ind., Monday, Feb. 20, 2023.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
The past three years, Cami Warren has been one of three or four top gymnasts at Columbus East.
This year, Warren has been alone with her skill level at the top of the Olympians team. She has been a big bright spot on a squad that just put up its best score of the season Monday in its final meet before Friday’s Franklin Central Sectional.
“It has been more pressure than past years, and it’s harder to relate to my teammates,” Warren said. “But I still enjoy it. It’s a lot of fun.”
East has a smaller team this year with only four girls. Warren is the lone senior.
“It’s actually been nice having fewer girls,” Warren said. “We can form close bonds with each other, and we’re all pretty good friends.”
Olympians co-coaches Katie Menefee and Melissa Dishinger have been thrilled with the leadership Warren has brought to the team this season.
“She’s a good leader,” Menefee said. “She’s very encouraging to the other girls on the team, making sure that they’re doing what they need to be doing and trying to keep the atmosphere in practice because they’re in here a lot. They spend a lot of time here in this gym, and it’s good for them to see her coming in here and working hard.”
That began in the offseason. Warren, who also played soccer for the Olympians, split her practice time between soccer and gymnastics last summer. When soccer started in the fall, she still came in to the gym one evening a week after soccer practice.
Columbus East’s Cami Warren performs her dismount from the uneven bars in a gymnastics meet against Seymour at Columbus East High School in Columbus, Ind., Monday, Feb. 20, 2023.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
This season, Warren has added a release move on the bars and improved her jumps on the beam to make them a higher value.
“Skill-wise, 100 percent, it’s been her best year,” Dishinger said. “She’s doing some bigger skills that she’s struggled for a couple of years to do, and we’re finally putting them in there, and they’re clean and they’re good. I definitely think the senior year has been her best. She’s really improved a lot this year. She’s come into her own confidence, and we’re just really excited for the end of the year to see if we can get her to regional because that’s always been a goal for her.”
“I’ve defnitely been more focused at practices,” Warren added. “I’ve been working harder and just making sure I work as hard as I can to be focused.”
As a result, she has been putting up some of the best scores of her career in all four individual events and the all-around.
“I think it’s going pretty well, compared to my past seasons,” Warren said. “I definitely have kept improving every year. My scores have gotten higher and higher, so I’m pretty proud of how I’ve done. I’ve been improving all year, so I’m just excited to see where I’m at for sectional.”
The top three teams and any other individuals in the top six in an event or the all-around advance to the March 3 Franklin Central Regional. While East is a longshot to make it as a team, Warren, who wants to study marine science at either Eckard College in Florida or Coastal Carolina, has a good chance to qualify in one or more events or the all-around.
“I’m going to go and try for all four, but if it’s just one or two, I’ll be fine with that,” Warren said.
