New Trier sophomore Rachel Zun’s contributions to the Trevians girls gymnastics team may be felt long after her high school career ends.
Throughout the year, Zun serves as a youth coach at Wilmette Gymnastics. It’s the very same club where Zun and her twin sister Amy, who also is a member of the New Trier team, first learned the sport.
Most Sundays, the Zuns spend four hours teaching gymnastics to boys and girls ages 3-6. This is the third year the sisters have had the paid job.
“(Working with kids) I have learned to be more patient, and it’s interesting to see different personalities kids have,” said Rachel Zun, whose sister has been out of high school action since tearing the ACL in her left knee in the Dec. 14 home meet against Niles West.
Rachel Zun added: “Some of the girls (we coach) have come to watch some of the New Trier meets. When they’re older, maybe they’ll compete for New Trier. It’s cool seeing them grow, and it will be interesting to see how their path continues through the sport.”
Rachel Zun’s path through the sport in recent years has included a solid freshman season, in which she was a part of the New Trier team that finished fifth in the state in 2017. That was followed by an offseason of hard work that has drawn plaudits from Trevians teammates and coaches.
“(Rachel Zun) worked on new skills and is so much more consistent. I think she improved the most (of anybody on the team) over the summer. She’s like a different person,” said fellow New Trier sophomore Maeve Murdock, who tied for the state title on balance beam in 2017.
Murdock also said Rachel Zun’s growth has included more than just adding skills and strength.
“Last year, sometimes she let the pressure get to her a little bit,” Murdock said. “But now, after a whole year working so hard, she’s really calm and collected. She does not let the negative energy get in her head, and it makes a difference in how she competes.”
Rachel Zun agreed that she is more relaxed this season.
“Last year, I would beat myself up when I fell,” Rachel Zun said. “This year, I’m a lot more confident because I’ve been working hard, and the confidence has helped me have more fun when I’m competing. I’ve gotten closer with the team and just had more fun, relaxed a lot more. I’m competing for the experiences, not just for the scores.”
Rachel Zun’s transformation accelerated last summer when she and Amy Zun trained alongside many of their high school teammates at American Academy of Gymnastics in Wheeling. New Trier coach Jen Pistorius said the twins had the best attendance in the summer program, missing just one session.
“She is extremely bright, just very dedicated and she works hard at everything,” Pistorius said of Rachel Zun. “(Inside and outside the gym) she is always wanting to work harder and try different things.”
Rachel Zun has become a fixture in the Trevians lineup in the all-around. That was not the case in 2016-17, when she did not compete on beam.
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Rachel Zun, a Wilmette resident, said her desire to prove herself as an all-arounder was one of the motivations for her offseason of hard work.
“Going into sophomore year, my goal was to do all-around,” Rachel Zun said. “That 30-minute drive (to the gym in Wheeling) is not the easiest route, but I just really wanted to get better.”
Rachel Zun said she also felt an obligation to contribute more to the overall team score this season, especially when it looked like sophomore standout Avery Faulkner might be forced out of action with a back injury.
Faulkner has returned, and she is joined by Rachel Zun, Murdock, senior Emma Jane Rohrer and junior newcomer Darcy Barkal for the Trevians, who have become one of the most formidable teams in the state.
New Trier’s winning score of 148.525 at the Central Suburban South meet on Jan. 27 was the highest team score by a two-judge panel in program history. The Trevians followed that up with a 147.600 to win the New Trier Regional on Jan. 30.
At the regional, Rachel Zun finished fifth in the all-around (35.850), fifth on uneven bars (8.800) and fifth on balance beam (8.975).
New Trier finished second to Glenbrook South at the Niles North Sectional on Tuesday. The Titans edged the Trevians 146.225-146.150. New Trier won’t know if it earned an at-large berth to state until after the Lake Park Sectional on Thursday.
Dan Shalin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press