Palatine standout makes his mark by pushing the limits

For two years, Andre Gatorano played freshman and sophomore football at Palatine High School.

He was a 5-foot-8, 170-pound defensive tackle.

But there was another sport that was more intriguing to him.

In eighth grade, he started gymnastics.

"I always admired gymnasts," Gatorano said. "I decided not to be scared of trying it and I just decided to go out and do it.

"My parents (Phanuel and Elizabeth) thought it was funny that I was trying and didn't think I was ever going to take it seriously. They always thought football would be the sport I would pursue."

But Gatorano was hardly joking about gymnastics.

And now, gymnasts facing the Palatine senior know it's no laughing matter.

Gatorano has become one the elite performers in the Mid-Suburban League.

In the conference meet last spring, he was second in the horizontal bars, tied for fourth on the still rings, fourth in the vault and third in the floor exercise.

His 51.70 score at the state meet was the highest for any MSL competitor.

"I love trying to make up new tricks and seeing if I can do them," said Gatorano, a tri-captain this season. "I like testing the body to the limit."

That's why Gatorano decided to leave his football career behind and concentrate solely on gymnastics.

"There were no tangible limits that you were breaking in football, so I got bored with it," he said. "I love watching gymnasts on TV, too. I love when someone tests their body to the limit. I think ballet is gorgeous. Gymnasts have to push themselves past what most people think they can do."

Palatine coach Scot Hagel says it's Gatorano's competitive attitude that makes him so successful at doing exactly that.

"He was a gymnast in our park district in Palatine," Hagel said. "So he came in with a lot of skills and now he's willing to do anything because he is so fearless. He's very aggressive."

As a sophomore, Gatorano was a state qualifier on the horizontal bar and vault for the Pirates' state championship team.

Last year, he qualified in the floor, parallel bars, high bar and still rings for the Pirates team that took third in the state.

"You can't start thinking about state until you get there," said Gatorano. "I'd love to get a trophy but that has to be taken with a grain of salt.

"I think a lot of my teammates have a lot of potential. So I think we can go far. But it's so early, it's hard to speculate."

Gatorano, who owns a solid 3.6 GPA on a weighted scale and is a member of theoretical science club, enjoys biology as his favorite subject.

He plans on majoring in engineering at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

"I think it takes a very specific mind to be an engineer," he said. "I think it would be amazing to do that. I love the creativity of the sciences."

That parallels his creativity on the gym apparatus.

"He's always working on something else before I even tell him to," Hagel said. "He is one of those guys who coaches himself. He is basically like another coach in the gym. He is always helping others."

And of course, he hopes to help Palatine to another banner season as the Pirates seek a fourth straight MSL crown.

For someone who didn't start the sport until eighth grade, Gatorano sure has come a long way in a short amount of time.

"I figured I might not have a lot of time," he said. "So I just went to work very hard with what I had. And hopefully it pays off this season."