Nowak joins the gymnastics elite

Kayla Nowak had a goal. She wanted to become an elite gymnast.

But living in Algonquin and going to Huntley High School, where there is no gymnastics team, didn't make it easy for Nowak to train with the elite.

So, the Huntley senior and her parents made a decision a few years ago to begin competing with the Illinois Gymnastics Institute in Westmont.

"They have elite programs and in 2004 they had a girl qualify for the Olympic Trials and that really stood out to me," said Nowak. "I wanted to be an elite gymnast there."

The move has more than paid off for Nowak. Not only has she become a Level 10 gymnast under the tutelage of coach Todd Gardner and the rest of the IGI staff, but next week the personable Nowak will sign a National Letter of Intent to compete at Big 12 champion Oklahoma on a full scholarship. She says she's leaning toward studying political science and is thinking about becoming a lawyer.

"Ninety-eight percent of the gymnasts (at IGI) get full college scholarships and that was my ultimate goal," said Nowak, noting that Oklahoma finished eighth at the NCAA championships last year."

There has been much sacrifice for Nowak, whose family moved to the northern Fox Valley in 2002 from Palatine. She trains roughly 27 hours per week, six days per week, and has to juggle school in Huntley with several trips to Westmont every week. Then, when the competition season begins in December there are 10 weekends of meets, bot locally and nationally, through May.

"I do pretty well in class but it does get hard," said Nowak, who is ranked 17th in Huntley's senior class and got a 27 on her ACT. "There are some late nights but it's all about managing time and being disciplined. Last year was tough with all the recruiting and school. This year should be easier."

Nowak has had a decent measure of success on the USGA circuit. Competing in the ultra-tough Region V, she took ninth in all-around at nationals last year, third on the floor, and was the Region IV floor champion. She also took second in all-around in the state competition. She competes on the balance beam, the floor exercise, the vault and the uneven bars.

It only figures Nowak would be a gymnast. Her mother, Donna, competed in the sport as Donna Hardies at Wheeling High School and Kayla started competing at the age of 4. When the family moved to Lake in the Hills and then Algonquin, she continued with the sport but found a peak.

"After competing at a small gym in Huntley and then in Crystal Lake I got to my highest point," said Nowak, who also had offers from Illinois and the University of Denver and was recruited by Stanford and Florida. "That's why I started going to IGI."

The 2008-09 club season begins soon and then, after graduating from Huntley, it will be on to a new chapter in her life -one Nowak already has goals for.

"I would love to be a Big 12 champion, both with my team and as an individual," said Nowak, whose 11-year old sister Kendra is also a gymnast and whose 15-year old brother Ryan plays hockey (dad's name is Scott, by the way). "I just want to compete at the national level and compete against all those amazing people."

That makes sense, because Kayla Nowak is turning out to be a pretty amazing person herself.

Local musings: The Elgin Sports Hall of Fame banquet Sunday night was another excellent affair. It was good to see some old friends, including table-mate Mary O'Brien, the former Larkin volleyball coach, as well as many others. The most touching scene of the night, for me anyway, was Maxine Turek accepting the Vic Masi Award. What a wonderful woman who meant so much to the evolution of girls sports in this area and statewide. If you've heard negatives about the ESHOF, discard them. This is an organization that anyone who cares about sports in Elgin should be a member of.

One last thought for today: I'm really starting to hate four classes. Sectional volleyball at Forreston and Sterling? And how do Burlington Central and Hampshire -8 miles apart -not see each other in the Class 3A bracket until the state semifinals? Just had to get that off my chest ... have a good day!

jradtke@dailyherald.com