Girls gymnastics: Schaumburg's Rothmeyer ready to make some noise
Even though it has been quiet, Alexis Rothmeyer is ready to drown out the noise.
The Schaumburg junior, one of the area's top gymnasts, is back in the gym with her teammates as they prepare for a short and compact season.
"It is good to be back," said Rothmeyer, who was ninth in the state last year on the uneven bars. "It is so good to be back home and in the gym with my teammates. It is so good to have a season. It does feel different. But we are going to take what we can get. It is truly better than nothing."
Rothmeyer has been preparing for the season, which was originally scheduled to begin back in November, by working out in her local gym. But when the season got put on hold, she continued her workouts at Palmer's in Bloomingdale, working out three days a week.
Now she is ready for competition.
Rothmeyer is known by her teammates and competitors as being very quiet.
"I try to stay focused and stay locked down and drown out the noise," Rothmeyer said. "I just want to wait and focus on the start of my routine. Once I get going, I still stay focused. But by the end of the routine then I salute, and I hear all the people."
Schaumburg coach Amber Mirski said that Rothmeyer's actions in the gym speaks volumes.
"She's definitely a soft-spoken person," Mirski said. "She is a person that leads by example and leads by the ways she works out. Her teammates see her motivation. She is definitely coming out of her shell. "
Mirski has seen how Rothmeyer gets herself prepared to compete both in practice and in meets.
"She really stays focused," Mirski said. "She is really focused in the gym and uses her visualization. That is super important to her. You can see her talking herself through her routines. "
Rothmeyer says that this is the way she has always competed.
"I really drown everything out," Rothmeyer said "I think the pressure helps too. And I have found that I perform better under pressure. I know I have to get it done and I feel more ready."
An ankle injury that Rothmeyer had wrapped before each practice and meets slowed her performances last year, especially on the vault and floor. That led to a ninth-place finish in the all-around at the conference meet last year after finishing in the top five as a freshman.
"She had a few aches and pains," Mirski said. "But she is feeling good now. We are taking things slow as a team and making sure we are not working it too hard."
Although the season has been cut in half and there will be no state meet, Mirski says Rothmeyer and her teammates are glad to be back.
"We have been waiting for the announcement and waiting for approval for over a week," Miski said. "That is the way we are looking at it. We are fortunate to practice and compete. Get those relationships and get those positive attitudes going."