Leyden’s Fabian Marquez came into the Hoffman Estates Sectional Saturday, May 9 with a plan: Put together a clean routine on parallel bars and earn a trip to the state meet.
Sadly, one little mistake put an end to those dreams, at least for this year.
The junior was performing his routine on parallel bars and over-rotated on one of his skills, a giant to support. Instead of finishing in support with his arms straight, he wound up in a chicken wing, meaning his arms were bent.
According to Leyden coach Jason Orna, the miscue could have cost Marquez up to five-tenths of a point. Marquez received a score of 7.9 for 10th place on parallel bars. The cut to make the state meet was 8.05
“I had a little break in my routine and it surprised me because it’s something I’ve never done before,” Marquez said. “I still got a decent score but that little break cost me. Stuff happens. Unfortunately it had to happen at sectionals where it was make-it or break-it for me. That was my only event I thought I could really make it downstate in.”
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Marquez was on the varsity team last season, but this was the first year he felt he could qualify for state. Orna knows that kind of pressure can sometimes result in the type of little mistakes that prove costly in sectionals.
“This is the most difficult meet you can possibly compete in,” Orna said. “The emotions are running high for a lot of athletes. You see high-caliber athletes not perform at their best because that wanting to go to state is there. This is his first time having the skills where he knows he can go to state and when you have that in your head, it’s a different feeling.”
While sectionals ended in disappointed, there was some good. Marquez is more dedicated than ever and was itching to return to the gym five minutes after the sectional meet ended.
“I’m angry, but in a good way,” Marquez said. “It makes me motivated to get back in the gym right now and start working. I’ll be practicing at Leyden and the second school is over I’ll be hitting club again.”
Marquez, who began gymnastics his freshman year, started practicing at Premier Gymnastics Academy in Downers Grove last summer. The biggest thing he gained from his experience there was an increase in confidence.
As a freshman, Marquez said he was timid, but Premier was able to help him step out of his comfort zone and learn big skills that put him on the verge of qualifying for state.
“He’s made a lot of improvement since last year,” said teammate Alexis Vilchez. “I’m going to push him hard in the summer because I want him to go to state with me next year.”
Notes
* Leyden finished fourth out of nine teams at sectionals with a score of 131.65.
* Alexis Vilchez put together a solid meet despite some adversity. Nursing a sore right heel, Vilchez didn’t compete in floor exercise, vault and all-around so he could have a shot to make state in events that didn’t put pressure on his heel. The strategy paid off as Vilchez won still rings (8.55) and took second in parallel bars (8.25). He also earned an at-large bid to this weekend’s state meet at Hinsdale Central in high bar (6th, 7.2)
“I felt some pain with my dismounts but I had to fight through it,” Vilchez said. “Last year I just missed going to state so I’m really proud of myself. It shows I made a big improvement and my coaches are proud of me. It will be fun to see how my scores compare against the best gymnasts.”
* Leyden will be well-represented at state thanks to strong sectional performances by senior Tavaris Fletcher in floor exercise (6th, 8.7) and vault (6th, 9.0), freshman Lavaris Fletcher in vault (9th, 8.85) and junior Jacob Reed in vault (10th, 8.8).
Valentin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.