Caroline Klobach finished 10th in the all-around Saturday at the New Trier Holiday Invitational, but after the meet, her mind was on her most disappointing performance of the day.
Klobach, a Hinsdale Central senior, fell off the balance beam twice during her routine Saturday.
“I’m not really sure what happened. I’ve been doing the same routine,” Klobach said. “I seem to make (connections) in warmups and practice. Today was just an off day and a rough second half.”
Klobach came down hard on her right arm in the uneven bars, the event immediately preceding the beam. In the first two events of the meet, Klobach scored a 9.475 in the vault and a 9.050 in the floor exercise.
It’s fairly common for all-around gymnasts to score significantly better in some events than others. Klobach was not happy with her beam performance, but there was a time in her gymnastics career when a day such as Saturday would be more difficult to forget.
Her first two years at Hinsdale Central, Klobach did not compete for the Red Devils. She was strictly a club gymnast, competing for IGI Gymnastics out of Westmont and Action Gymnastics Academy in Burr Ridge. But injuries slowed her development, and in the summer before her junior year, she quit gymnastics all together.
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“In the span of nine months, I was constantly getting hurt. I felt that my body could no longer take the pressure of club anymore,” Klobach said. “When you are younger, it’s all love, but you get older and it gets harder. It’s more demanding on the body, and you are constantly in pain and taking pressure from other people and putting it on yourself.”
By the fall of 2018, Klobach felt physically healthy. She missed competing and decided to join the Red Devils. She discovered that varsity gymnastics is not the pressure-packed environment that club gymnastics can be.
Klobach qualified for the state meet in the vault last season. When the season ended in February, she took time to reflect and to enjoy her accomplishments rather than worry about another club season.
“We had so much fun as a team,” Klobach said. “You always want to do good, but there is not extremely hard penalties or assignments for not doing good (in high school).”
Klobach began this season on a roll. She won the all-around in the Red Devils’ first two dual meets and invitationals.
Emma Baroni is Hinsdale Central’s only other senior on the roster. Klobach is unquestionably the team’s best gymnast on a team thin on experience.
“She is a strong personality and wants to do well,” Hinsdale Central coach Kim Estoque said. “This year, she has made huge strides.”
“It’s really nice having her. She inspires us all,” Red Devils freshman Charlotte French added. “She keeps us motivated and gives us tips that are beneficial to us. Looking up to her is something we all do.”
Hinsdale Central placed eighth at the 10-team New Trier tournament with a score of 130.625. French placed 17th in the uneven bars (8.40) while freshman Catherine Huber placed 19th in the vault with a score of 8.950.
Jon J. Kerr is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press