When the Maine South girls gymnastic team nearly qualified for the state tournament for the first time last season, a gymnast capable of helping the Hawks reach state was walking the halls at the school — or perhaps slightly limping.
Then-freshman Brittany Argaez was an accomplished club gymnast at Westmont’s Illinois Gymnastics Institute who had broken the tibia in her left leg as an eighth-grader in the spring of 2016. After taking time off to heal, the Park Ridge resident chose not to come out for high school gymnastics during the 2016-17 season.
“It was a long recovery, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do high school or continue with club,” said Argaez, who is now a sophomore. “I broke my leg, and that led up to (the high school season). I was recovering and decided I would do club one more year.”
This season, Argaez decided to join the high school team, and she has been a massive addition to a squad that has advanced to the state meet. The Hawks won the Maine South Regional with a team score of 147.275 on Feb. 1 and the Hoffman Estates Sectional with a score of 147.425 on Wednesday.
Argaez is part of a young nucleus that includes junior Caleigh Pistorius, sophomore Collette Roth and junior Cristina DeFilippis.
“All the girls are stronger than they were last year, and adding Brittany I think has just made us a stronger team overall than last year,” Maine South coach Tessa Robinson said.
So, how was Argaez persuaded to join the Maine South squad?
It all started last spring, when Argaez switched clubs. She began training at Wheeling’s American Academy of Gymnastics, where many of the area’s top high school gymnasts work out, including many of the Maine South girls.
Argaez said it didn’t take long for her to become convinced that high school gymnastics was in her future.
“I (decided to do high school) probably after a month at American Academy, when I got to know the girls. I thought high school sounded like so much fun,” Argaez said.
Argaez also made a strong early impression on her future teammates.
“When she first came in, we were like, ‘Wow, she has so many good skills,'” Pistorius said. “She had been out (for a long time) with a broken leg, and was still so good. And she fit in right away.”
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At the regional, Argaez scored a 36.325 in the all-around and finished third behind Pistorius (37.575) and Roth (36.800). On vault, which Argaez calls her best event, she scored a 9.375 and came in third.
At the sectional, she earned an automatic state berth in the vault by tying for fourth with a score of 9.400. The top five finishers automatically qualified for state.
It was on vault that Argaez broke her leg during practice for club regionals in 2016.
“I was just running toward the vault and right when I hurdled, my leg broke. It was a freak accident,” she said. “It took me awhile to get over the feeling of being nervous that it would happen again.”
Argaez had to deal with additional injury trouble this season. She broke her left index finger while practicing on parallel bars early in the season, and only competed on beam during the first few meets.
Argaez said the finger remains swollen, but she has long since resumed competing in all events.
Though Argaez has dealt with the pressure of high-level club meets, Pistorius warned that the biggest high school meets almost certainly are unlike anything Argaez has previously experienced.
“Even the state meet for club is just a different vibe (than IHSA sectional and state meets),” said Pistorius, who shared the 2017 state balance beam title. “(Club state) is quiet and it’s not an exciting and loud environment like high school, where you have multiple teams and a bunch of fans, where it’s chaotic and fast moving. We keep telling her (sectional and state) will be a different environment from any meet she’s been to.”
Argaez said she believes the nature of high school gymnastics helps ease any big-meet pressure.
“It’s almost like there is less pressure because it’s all about fun,” Argaez said. “Even though there is a lot of pressure, and you want to do well for your team and yourself, everyone makes it fun with all the cheering and everything.”
Competitive dance
The Maine South Hawkettes dance team placed second in the varsity high kick competition and ninth in the large varsity pom division at the UDA Natinal Dance Team Championship on Sunday in Orlando, Fla.
Dan Shalin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press