The first sport Hinsdale Central freshman Amanda Leon tried as a little girl was soccer.
It didn’t go well for the 4-year-old.
“I was on defense and supposed to keep the ball away from the offensive players,” she said. “But I wouldn’t pay attention to the game. I was in my own little world doing handstands and cartwheels while the ball would roll past me and go out of bounds. I don’t think the coach liked me after that.”
That was the end of her soccer career, but it started her on the sport she’s been enjoying ever since – gymnastics.
By the time she was 6 or 7, she was a level-4 gymnast competing at Premier Gymnastics Academy in Downers Grove. She considered herself just an average gymnast until she took first on the balance beam in a state tournament when she was 11 or 12.
The excitement of winning a big meet made her focus even more on gymnastics. That’s paying off in her freshman year at Hinsdale Central. Leon took fifth place in all-around at the Hinsdale Central Regional on Feb. 5 with a score of 34.725. She was the only freshman in the top five.
“I wasn’t really focused on individual accomplishments at regionals,” Leon said. “I knew there were some level-10 seniors and they would win the events. I thought I’d get bumped out and not go to sectionals, so I just focused on doing it for my team.”
Leon’s big day helped Hinsdale Central win the regional with a score of 138.35, edging Downers Grove South (136.95). The Red Devils advanced to Wednesday’s scheduled Hinsdale Central Sectional, where state berths will be on the line.
“We really wanted to go to sectionals and we knew we needed to place first to guarantee that,” Leon said. “It’s really cool to go to sectionals as a team when I’m a freshman.”
While Leon didn’t expect to have a big night, she finished fourth on vault (9.25), third on beam (8.5) and fourth on floor exercise (8.875).
“I was really surprised,” Leon said. “I knew there were a lot of other girls out there that have so much talent. A lot of the seniors are level 9s and 10s and I look up to them, so being on the podium with them was kind of cool.”
Leon’s rookie results prove to her that she made the right decision late last fall to quit club gymnastics to compete for Hinsdale Central.
“The high school experience has been great,” Leon said. “I was scared about new teammates and new equipment and not going to the same gym I’ve been going to since I was little, but it’s been a good change. I definitely want to continue gymnastics throughout high school. I’ve debated going back to club during the offseason, but we’ll see.”
Senior Brigid Cultra was the team’s top finisher in all-around, taking fourth with a score of 35. Other top five finishers for Hinsdale Central were Cultra on vault (2nd, 9.425) and floor exercise (2nd, 9.1); Jenny Sims on beam (4th, 8.475); Lily Jones on uneven bars (4th, 8.75); and Jessica Elliott on uneven bars (5th, 8.275).
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Rob Valentin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.