One place better (2nd) on bars for Meadows' Kane
Nicole Kane sees all her gymnastics events in slow motion.
The Rolling Meadows junior replays her performances in her head after she competes. And like the typical athlete, she focuses on her mistakes rather than her perfections.
Kane did that again after she competed Saturday at the girls state gymnastics individual finals at Palatine, where she had qualified for the uneven parallel bars finals. Kane was not completely satisfied by her performance.
"It was OK," Kane said. " My pirouette was a little late but I made it up by hitting my double. So I can't complain I guess."
Neither did the judges, who gave Kane a score of a 9.475, which earned her a second-place finish on the event.
"I am very happy to get a second-place finish," said Kane, who finished third in the state on the bars last year. "I wanted to be better than last year and I was."
Rolling Meadows coach Michael Costa said that Kane strives for perfection.
"She has been working hard," Costa said. "She is not happy with mediocre. That is not good enough. She wants to be great."
Barrington's Lauren Tenbrunsel made her first state trip a special one.
Tenbrunsel, who is a junior, was first up on the beam and scored a 9.275. She then had to wait for nine more competitors along with a 45-minute delay in the competition when the fire alarm went off for overcooked popcorn. Tenbrunsel was rewarded for the wait when she made the awards stand by finishing fifth.
"I was a nervous wreck watching the other girls," said Tenbrunsel, who finished 13th in the all-around on Friday.
"I just kept my head down and remembered that I did everything I could. I was happy I could get a clean routine. My main goal was to make it to the all-around finals and I did that. Making it to the beam finals was icing on the cake."
Barrington coach Jason Loeffler said Tenbrunsel will be someone he can build around next year.
"She did her job," Loeffler said. "She did great. It is a ton to build off for next year. You can't teach how to compete in the state finals. She got a taste of it. I told her she made me put on a suit for the state finals, let's get on all the events next year."
Schaumburg Alexis Rothmeyer did well on her first trip to the finals. The freshman was sixth in the all-around on Friday and qualified for the finals on the bars and beam Saturday.
Rothmeyer struggled on the bars, taking an extra swing and finished 10th with a 9.05. She then appeared to be on her way to the medal stand on the beam, but a misstep during her dismount caused her to fall on her landing and she finished tied for ninth with an 8.75.
"It was fun, but nerve-racking at times," Rothmeyer said. "I tried to get to my feet on my dismount. I had a good experience and I am proud of how I did."
Also proud was Schaumburg coach Amber Mirski.
"Overall, it is not a disappointment," Mirski said "She was top 10 in the state in the all-around and we have three more years together. I am looking forward to it."
Glenbard West won the team title with a score of 149.025. New Trier was second with a 147.525 and Maine South was third with a 147.25
Glenbard West was led by Maddie Diab, who won the all-around on Friday. Diab then followed up Saturday by winning the vault (9.80), the bars (9.55) and beam (9.65). She was second on the floor to DeKalb's Madison Hickey (9.70).
Before the meet began, Palatine principal Gary Steiger and athletic coordinator Patty Burke were both honored. Palatine has hosted the girls' state meet for the last 39 years and Steiger, who has been at Palatine for 17 years and Burke, who has been there for 14 years, are both retiring after the school year.