The Evanston girls gymnastics team scored 126.050 points and finished sixth at their own 11-team Chester Jones Invite on Saturday.
Those within the Evanston program believe scores and results will be even better in the coming years for the Wildkits thanks to the development of the Kit Gymnastics feeder program.
“(In the past), we’ve had a lot of freshmen come in and they are not experienced,” said senior Ella Roberts, who lives in Evanston. “But if they come in with experience (from the feeder program) knowing how to do a round-off, it’s much easier to get them to higher levels on that skill throughout their high school careers.”
A program offering both competitive and instructional gymnastics for children in grades 1-8, with classes for even younger children, Kit Gymnastics was started in 2012 by current Wildkits head coach Meghan Koons, who was then an assistant to longtime head coach Chester Jones, and Eric Lieb.
Koons later passed off leadership of the program, which is currently being run by Evanston boys gymnastics coach Frank Erwin and Mira Johnson.
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Evanston gymnastics did have a feeder program back in the 1990s, but Koons said she understands it was discontinued when there was trouble finding people to run the organization.
Koons said she expects the current feeder program to be a boon to Evanston Township High School gymnastics, which in recent years has attracted some gymnasts with high-level club experience, but many others with an interest, but not much background, in the sport.
The feeder program is designed to produce gymnasts who enter the high school program with a stronger foundation in the sport and greater skills than many of their predecessors.
“We get a lot of girls who are interested in gymnastics, but they are very green,” said Koons, who is in her second season since replacing the retired Jones. “We bring those girls in and teach them. But it’s hard to bring them in to compete against club kids. They see these club kids, who are amazing, and it’s really intimidating.”
Though the feeder program has yet to yield a varsity gymnast, feeder graduates already have joined the freshman and JV ranks.
“There are freshmen from the (feeder) program who (skipped the freshman team) and walked right onto the JV team. They are absolutely future varsity gymnasts,” Koons said.
One important element of the feeder program is that a handful of current varsity gymnasts serve as paid coaches.
One of them is senior Emily Kelleher, who said working with Kit Gymnastics has given her a glimpse into the future of the varsity program.
“I coach a lot of those kids who are going to be at high levels in the next couple of years,” said Kelleher, who lives in Evanston and is in her third year coaching at Kit Gymnastics. “There is one girl who is a (Gymnastics of Illinois Junior Organization) Level 6 and will be a freshman next year. There are other (high-level) girls like her, who will be in that next cycle (of gymnast through Evanston) in the next four years.”
Kelleher said she was excited to see a few girls she coaches at Kit Gymnastics in the crowd at the Chester Jones Invite.
“It’s cute,” Kelleher said. “They are so impressionable. They came to the meet and I feel like they want to be just like us, which is weird because I don’t see myself as a role model. But I guess, technically, I am to the little kids I coach.”
Results
At the Chester Jones Invite, Evanston freshman Abra Levin was the team’s highest finisher in the all-around (20th, 30.400) one spot ahead of senior Hilary Vickman (21st, 30.350). Freshman Jamie Otwell came in 14th on uneven bars (8.350), tied for 14th on balance beam (8.525) and was 17th on vault (8.725). Kelleher and Vickman tied for 24th on floor exercise (8.000).
This story has been modified to reflect the following correction: The article originally didn’t mention that Eric Lieb co-founded Kit Gymnastics.
Dan Shalin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press