In previous years, it was easy to spot the gymnastics team practicing in the third-floor gym at Oak Park and River Forest High School. That space has since been demolished to make way for Project 2, the new athletic wing now under construction on the southeast corner of the building.
Until the new facilities open, the gymnasts are training in Forest Park, where Head Coach Kris Wright owns Tri-Star Gymnastics. Wright has coached OPRF gymnastics for more than 30 years, training the girls for the four events in the IHSA: uneven bars, balance beam, floor exercise and vault.
The team this year consists of seven varsity gymnasts: freshman Reese Harding, sophomore Zoe Schwartz, juniors Claire Garnett, Alexis Henderson, Maisie Hoerster and Teagan Lucas, and senior Caroline Mann.
Many of the gymnasts on the team have been part of gymnastics from a young age. Mann said there are some negative experiences in her gymnastics history, but OPRF gymnastics brought her love back for the sport. “It’s very positive, and everyone’s so kind and supportive,” she said.
That support comes even as gymnasts try and fail. Wright explained that staying strong through failure is part of the team culture. “They’re mentally and emotionally healthy,” said Wright of her gymnasts. “The stronger they get, the more confidence they have in themselves to try bigger things. We talk about failure as just another learning tool.”
Gymnastics is a sport of perfection. There is always something that can be improved with judges looking at every bend, flip and imperfection to take points off a gymnast’s score. Hoerster said that “every moment in the gym is a learning moment.”
Gymnastics is also a physically demanding sport. Professionals performing their routines on television make it look easy, but the strength needed for gymnastics is incredible. “They don’t show [on TV] the crashes and the burns, and the practice is when the grind comes in, the conditioning, the strength work, practicing a skill over and over again,” Wright said.
The gymnastics team has been a strong contender for the state series in the previous couple of years. Last year senior Jane Walker narrowly missed qualifying by 0.10. The team is now looking for a state appearance in February.
Wright and the team will continue to train in Tri-Star for the next two years while OPRF’s Project 2 finishes.
Gymnastics is at a height of popularity in the past couple of years with great gymnasts like Simone Biles being the best of the best, and many tuning in for it. OPRF Gymnastics, while being a small group in the school, certainly doesn’t burn less brightly than other sports.
