Illinois H.S.toric

While the Illinois High School Association is celebrating its centennial, girls gymnastics is still in its infancy as a recognized sport.

The state meet can trace its roots back to meetings held back in 1976. Kathy Krebs, who has been the meet referee for the State Series, was one of the main organizers. Krebs, along with Betty Axelson from Maine East (whose team would eventually win the first state team title), Priscilla Gilroy, Linda Kay Hawkins and others would meet every Saturday at the Old George Williams College in Downers Grove.

“We set up the basic structure of the meet,” Krebs said. Gymnastics at that time was only part of what was known as “Sports Days”, when female high school athletes would compete in non-team sports. But Krebs and her group would change all that.

The reason for their meeting was the growing popularity of girls gymnastics. The 1976 Olympics had just ended and Nadia Comaneci had girls thinking about balance beams and high bars.

“There was a great insurgence of kids after that,” Krebs said. “Gymnastics was really popular. It is has always been very cyclical, following the Olympics.”

Krebs and her group held their meetings for many months. Not only did that group meet, but coaches from around the area met as well, setting up the foundation for the state meet. When the plan was completed it was proposed to the Illinois High School Association. Ola Bundy, who was the assistant executive director for girls sports, approved it and the state series was set in motion.

Girls gymnastics was one of the last sports recognized by the IHSA. In that first year there were 128 teams for first state series. It took place at Maine East and was won by the host school with 170.90. That score reflected the all-around score being added back into the team score.

In that year, 60 teams qualified for the actual state finals, according to research by Rick Kelleher, who has accumulated statistics about the sport. In 1977, there were only six teams at the State Finals. It was not until the following year that eight teams, the current number, was introduced.

“We always envisioned that the sport would be a permanent one,” Krebs said. “Our first system had some problems with it, so we made some changes. It has evolved with the rule book. This is the format we have had for quite a while.”

Due to the popularity of gymnastics because of the Olympics, television was quick to pick up on the idea of a state finals. They were broadcast live on WGN-TV, with Rick Talley providing the play-by-play and Krebs and others doing the color work. It was broadcast live for a number of years before moving to tape delay later.

Like the technology revolution that has changed the world, new and better pieces of equipment have made tremendous strides in making the sport safer, more competitive and in turn, even more entertaining.

Twenty-four years ago, when the sport was just making its way into gyms across the state, coaches used whatever they could get their hands on for equipment. Wrestling mats doubled as landing mats, while the floor exercise was contested on a wooden floor.

“We used whatever we could,” said Sandy Oldham, who is the meet director at Palatine for the state finals and a two-time state champion coach at Palatine.

“We used strip mats for landing. And the equipment wasn't even close to what it is today.”

The balance beam was made of varnished wood and was very stiff. Today's beam is made of hollowed aluminum and comes with springs, which allows competitors to get more air time while attempting more difficult tricks.

The uneven parallel bars used to be more oval and were difficult to grip. They are also more closer together. Today, there is plenty of spacing to and the bars themselves are more rounded.

The vault may have changed the least. It is still the same size and shape. There are some new vaults available with springs to allow more difficult routines, but there are few available in schools at this time.

But nowhere has the sport advanced more than the floor exercise. From the increased use of dance to the music to the equipment itself, it has been the highlight of the sport. And the development of the equipment has mirrored that interest.

First came the carpet over the wood floor for stability. Then came an ethafoam mat under the carpet for cushioning.

But the biggest change came five years ago with the introduction of a spring floor. Its construction of plywood and springs underneath the carpet and foam allowed gymnasts the ability to perform even more difficult tricks.

“It gives the competitors more air time,” Oldham said. “And that increased air time gives them the chance to do things like a double-back.”

With the spring floor came the ability to successfully perform those tricks like the double-back. The first double-back attempted came back in 1982 when Niles North's Mary Ann Kostaneck attempted it, but fell in the process.

It would take nine more years until someone would hit the move. That's when Naperville Central's Sunni Steck landed one in the floor finals in 1991. Steck had a serious fall in the 1990 finals while attempting another routine and left Palatine High School on stretcher. But in 1991 she came back to win the state floor title.

Palatine has hosted the state meet since the third year of the series. The first two competitions were held at Maine East, but in 1979 the meet was moved to Palatine. There has been discussions on possibly moving the meet to one of the state colleges or universities, but it has remained at Palatine for 22 years.

Oldham credits former Palatine athletic director Chic Anderson for the move.
“We has a new gymnasium built in 1979 and Chick felt that we had passed on hosting other events because of our old gym,” Oldham said. “So we hosted it and have continued to do so since.”

Since its inception in 1977 there have been thousands of competitors in the state finals. The individual events have produced 220 different girls that have finished in the top five places representing 77 different schools.

There have been some tremendous individual winners in state history. Beginning with Palatine's Lori Erickson, who won the all-around in 1977 to defending champion Stacey Magiera, there have been 17 different girls have won the all-around title, which is contested on the first day of the State Meet.

Erickson was the first of four girls to repeat as all-around champion. Erickson, however, did not win back-to back. She won in 1977 and again in 1979, but was second to Fremd's Tracey Moore in 1978.

Lyons' Janne Klepek was the first to win consecutive all-around titles. She won three times in a row from 1983 to 1985. Naperville North's Michelle Huston won the all-around title in 1994 and 1995. Huston had her streak broken in 1966 when Fremd's MaryAnne Kelley defeated her to begin her three-year reign as all-around champion.

There was a tie for the all-around title in 1988. Deerfield's Laurie Gold trailed Lake Forest's Gail Hamilton by one-tenth heading on the floor. Gold scored a 9.40 to Hamilton's 9.30 as the pair finished even with a 37.55.

After qualifying on the first day when the all-around champion is determined, the individual event winners are determined with competition on Saturday. Since competition has begun there have been 115 state individual champions with eight of those ending in ties.

Two of those ties came between Huston and Rich Central's Corynne Cooper on the vault. Copper tied Huston, who was the defending state champion on the event in 1995 when they scored a 9.70. They tied again in 1996 when they scored a 9.75. After Huston graduated, Cooper won the title by herself in 1997. She failed for a fourth time in 1998 when an injury kept her out of the Finals.

Rich Central's Jennifer Redmond is the only competitor to win a state title for four years in a single event. Redmond won the vault title from 1987 to 1990.

Klepek won two different events three times to go along with her three all-around titles. She won the Bars from 1982 to 1984 and the Beam from 1983 to 1985.

Other three-time individual winners are Erickson, who won the floor exercise from 1977 to 1979; Fremd's Michelle Hernandez, who won the floor from 1985 to 1987 and Kelley, who won the floor from 1996 to 1998.

Klepek appeared in more state individual finals than anyone else. She qualified for 15 event finals, winning 11 state individual titles to go with her three all-around championships and two team championships. She also finished with 19 medals out of a possible 20. Huston is next with 10 individual state championships followed by Erickson and Kelley with nine.

One of the things that sets high school girls gymnastics in Illinois apart from its club counterpart is the ability to compete for a team.

“The kids who compete in high school gymnastics have learned to have fun with their sport,” said Rich Township coach Judy Redmond. “And that is still the bottom line of it all.”

On a team level, 47 different schools have made appearances at the state finals with Fremd making the most appearances with 15. Naperville North is second with 12 and Palatine third with 11. But only eight different schools have taken home the top trophy.

No school has been as successful as Fremd. The Vikings have won 9 state titles, including the last six. They have set the state record for scoring in 1998 when they tallied 152.55 points.

“The state meet is such a special experience,” said Fremd coach Larry Petrillo, who along with Diane Kelley, has coached the team.

“When I first started as a head coach, my goal was just to make it to the state meet. The grandeur and excitement and special experience has not diminished at all. I still get goose bumps when we march in here. Any girl who takes part in the state finals will never forget about it for the rest of their lives.”

Fremd has taken home the most trophies as well, taking home 11 of them. Palatine, which has won two state titles is second with 6 trophies while Addison Trail is third with 5 trophies. What is most impressive about Addison Trail's trophies is that all of them are for first place.

The Blazers won the state's closest contest in state history in 1991 when they edged Mundelein Carmel by five-one hundredths of a point. Sarah Mikrut had advanced to all four final events for Carmel, while Addison Trail had Penny Kunsmann and Leticia Dennis competing in the finals.

Mikrut, who is the current coach at Buffalo Grove was able to raise her team score to 146.05. But Dennis, competing in the beam finals, had her best routine of the year, earning her a fifth place finish in the state and lifting the Blazers to the team title with a 146.10.

“It was incredibly exciting,” Addison Trail coach Fred Dennis said. “But if you asked my daughter what was more important to her, her fifth-place finish or the team's finish, she would say the team. That is what high school gymnastics is all about.”
Many club kids today are finding out about that team unity. After watching and reading about Huston, Kelley and Magiera, all former club gymnasts, many are coming out for their high school teams. That has driven the talent level up and the interest in the sport along with it.

Because of that influx of talent, team scores have risen. This year Barrington and Lyons broke the 150 mark for points, joining only Fremd and Palatine as schools that have topped that mark.

“The level of gymnastics has skyrocketed,” Oldham said. “The things these girls can do today is incredible.”

This year 77 schools competed for the team title while another 24 sent individuals. The sport added three new teams this year and has continued to grow in popularity.
Just can't make you wait until next year.

Dick Quagliano is a free-lance writer for the Chicago Sun-Times.