Despite a nagging back injury altering her practice and event performances, junior Olivia Navin qualified for a trip to Wisconsin Rapids on March 6 for the state gymnastics tournament.

“She started off real great then she kinda was dealing with a back injury, but she pushed through and still got better though,” head coach Leah Levine said. “Overall, her scores crept up through the season which is great. That's what you want an athlete to do so I couldn’t ask her for anymore.” she said.

In order to qualify for state gymnastics, competitors have to place in the top five for an event at sectionals. If they only qualify for one event, then they only compete in that event.

“For me, I placed fourth on the vault, so that is what I competed at state,” Navin said. “However, other girls who qualify for the all-around competition are able to compete in all four events: vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor. I placed sixth in the all-around [at sectionals], so I was very close to competing in every event.”

Navin was proud of the work she put in to come back and be inches away from competing in every event. Junior teammate Alysa Garrison was also proud of her achievements.

“As her best friend, I could not be happier to see all of the hard work she put in at every practice and watch all her hard work pay off by qualifying for state,” she said. “She earned this not just because she is amazing and talented, but her hard work and determination were what got her there.”

Her coaches of course knew she was more than capable of reaching this goal.

“Olivia just needed to do what she knew she was capable of doing. Just needed to hit her routines at the right moment,” Levine said.

This turned out to be true as Navin was able to excel when it counted most. The junior put in the work in the week leading up to state.
“Our team had a normal but shortened practice schedule the week before state. I just worked on my vaulting and some conditioning,” she said. “Everyone still came to practice, which was nice, even though they were done for the season.”

Navin was happy to be surrounded by her teammates during the week. This year’s competition was a little different than years prior.

“They had it organized differently so division two was on Friday and division one was on Saturday so that was a little different,” Levine said. “It seemed like there were less people there but it really wasn’t.”

Being her first time at state, Navin was amazed by the skills of the girls around her.

“The competition at the state meet was incredible. Many of the girls competing had come from club gymnastics before moving on to high school, so there were a lot of high-level athletes competing,” she said.

The building itself also had great energy, making it more enjoyable.

“It’s always great because gymnastics isn’t a very popular sport but when you're coming to a venue and it’s all about gymnastics the atmosphere the level of energy is way higher,” Levine said. “On a scale of one to 10 it’s an 11. Everyone's super excited running around smiles and laughing, so it’s a good time.”

Navin also found the same excitement.

“Everyone cheered so loud and there was a lot of high energy all around. Music was blasted throughout the gym and it was just an exciting environment to be in. Those who qualified for an individual event rotated with other girls who did not qualify as a team, but as an individual,” she said. “I was a part of a group of gymnasts who I did not know, however, even though we had never met, we all still cheered for one another as if we were on the same team. Overall, it was just a positive place to be.”

The unexpected camaraderie improved her state experience.

“Although it was not my best day, state was still so much fun,” she said.

Navin’s performance was definitely hampered by her injuries, but she was thankful for the support of her coaches and teammates.

“Having the support of my friends and coaches was absolutely incredible. My teammates showed up with hand-made posters which was the sweetest thing ever. My coaches too were so supportive and they got me a beautiful bouquet of flowers to march in with,” she said. “Although we all showed up to the competition at 9:30 am, I did not complete until 4:30 pm, so I received words of encouragement all day leading up to the competition.”

Fellow teammates were also excited to be there supporting Navin.

“It was very memorable for me to be there supporting Olivia. I have been Olivia’s best friend since we were five years old,” Garrison said. “At that moment, I was so grateful to be there and experience her accomplishment with her. She is such a great teammate, always coming to practice with a big smile and a positive attitude. I am just so proud of her and couldn't be happier for her.”

Her coaches were also very proud of her.

“Everyone had fun. Olivia had a good time at her first state competition. The trophy was making it to state,” Levine said.

Garrison’s experiences transcend just cheering on the athletics.

“My favorite memory with Olivia was definitely the car ride up to state. We jammed out our favorite music and were singing like there was no tomorrow,” she said. “As we were in the car, I kept reflecting on all the amazing memories of the gymnastics season with her and that we were about to make this last meet of the season the best one yet.”

As Garrison looks forward to next year, so does Navin.

“Next year my goal is to qualify for state in the all-around competition since I was so close this year,” Navin said. “I was just one spot away, so hopefully next year I can manage to achieve that goal.”

By Lily Fournier

March 18 2022

Volume 118 Issue VI

Navin pushes past injury through state gymnastics competition