Neuqua Valley sophomore Eric Mitchell was one of those kids who simply couldn’t sit still.
He’d bounce around on furniture with endless energy.
Finally, his parents decided it was time for him get that energy out elsewhere, so they introduced him to gymnastics.
“I was probably only around 3 at the time and then a couple years later I started competing,” he said. “It sort of came naturally to me and I joined Premier West in Oswego and have been going after it ever since.”
Now, Mitchell will go from bouncing around on La-Z-Boys and ottomans to the apparatus at Hinsdale Central with his second straight state appearance on Friday and Saturday.
The Wildcats don’t have a gymnastics team, but Mitchell will represent his school as an individual competitor.
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“With high school it’s kind of a way to compete and sort of show off what you can do,” he said. “Like last year, I didn’t make it to nationals through (USA Gymnastics) so I did high school as a way of competing in something else. I enjoyed that experience and it’s a fun meet so I figured I’d come back and see how well I could do.”
So far, he’s done extremely well.
Mitchell’s 52.15 in the all-around in last Saturday’s Hinsdale Central Sectional earned top honors. Furthermore, his score was the 10th best in the state and Downers Grove South freshman Beau Herion, who had a 53.45, is the only underclassman with a better score.
The all-around competition should be tight with nine of the top 10 qualifiers scoring between 53.5 and 52.15. Palatine senior Prakash Nigam distanced himself with a 55.3 and appears to be the favorite.
“It would be super cool to place, but if I don’t it’s not the end of the world,” Mitchell said. “The goal isn’t to win, it’s to do my best, have fun and represent the school.”
Mitchell qualified in five of the six events, coming up short on still rings. While on the subject of short, Mitchell is far from it and a three-inch growth spurt in the past year has him now at 5-foot-11 and more capable for success on pommel horse, his favorite event.
He is seeded third there with a score of 9.2.
“Getting taller has probably helped me,” he said. “I went up a few inches from last year and probably half a foot in the past two or three years, so that’s helped me physically push my body to extend on horse. Still rings is one of those things that’s better if you’re shorter and more muscular, and I’m fairly skinny so it’s not as natural.”
Flipping around has always been natural for him as he’ll attempt to become the second Neuqua Valley gymnast to win a state championship. Wes Diveney won still rings in 2015.
At last year’s state meet, Mitchell finished 19th in the all-around, eighth on high bar and fourth on pommel horse.
“Flipping around and doing those cool tricks is what it’s all about,” Mitchell said. “We’ll see what happens. It should be a lot of fun.”
Fellow Wildcat Gareth Elkins will also be in action on Friday as the senior scored 8.75 to qualify at-large on vault.
Naperville North sophomore Michael Hunter Jr. is the only other gymnast from the area who advanced. The sophomore will compete on floor and vault.
C.R. Walker is a freelance writer for the Naperville Sun.