Brandon Swanson competed in the boys gymnastics state meet in 2014, but the Mundelein junior believed he was capable of more.
Before he could transform his routines, however, he had to work on building his strength.
“That was the thing with him. He did have very good swing. He did have skills and tricks. The one thing he was lacking was a good deal of strength,” Mustangs coach Jesse Piland said.
Swanson competed in the floor exercise, vault, parallel bars and high bar at the state meet last spring, but he needed more muscle mass for events like the pommel horse and still rings.
“Those events require you to not just swing around, but hold up your body weight and make it look effortless,” Piland said.
Swanson began his workouts in earnest last summer. There were no bench presses or squats. All of his efforts were focused on dynamic movements with an emphasis on body weight.
“Dips, pushups, situps. A lot of it is upper body, everything torso and up,” said Swanson, a member at Ultimate Gymnastics in Gurnee. “One hundred pushups, 30 dips [each day], multiple sets.”
Swanson continued his strength work as high school workouts began in February. Mundelein gymnasts do 30 minutes of exercise during each practice session. Handstands, parallel bar dips and pushups are all part of the daily routine.
The consistent regimen has paid off. Swanson said he’s gained 10 pounds of muscle from a year ago (he stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 155 pounds), and he’s an improved gymnast.
“I have a lot of new tricks and skills. I’m able to stay on top of the [pommel] horse,” he said.
Piland added: “[The strength] has allowed him to throw up more tricks and better tricks. Aside from pure swinging events like [horizontal] bar, his power is noticeable. Everything has evolved from it.”
On Friday, Mundelein hosted the Robert Bohl Invitational. Eighteen schools participated, including state contenders Stevenson, Wheaton-Warrenville South (co-op) and Deerfield. The Mustangs finished 11th, with a team score of 130.85 (Stevenson won with a score of 147.05).
Swanson’s individual performance was one of the best at the invitational. He finished in the top 10 in all seven events, his best being the pommel horse and all-around, where he placed third. He scored an 8.9 on the pommel horse and a 50.80 in the all-around.
Swanson, Mundelein’s captain, preferred to talk about the Mustangs’ team score, which was its highest of the season.
“We are improving fantastically, always improving,” he said. “I still think we have a ways to go.”
As the season continues, expect more gymnasts to contribute for the Mustangs. Ismael Antunez, Noe Alcantar and Jordan Ader were in the lineup Friday night. Sophomore Greg Godellas, a 2014 state qualifier in the pommel horse, should be called up from the lower levels later in the season. The same goes for sophomore Yianni Wichering. There could be other reinforcements by the state series.
But the undisputed leader is Swanson.
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“He’s our go-to guy,” Piland said.
Kerr is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter: @prepspioneer