Carrying the weight of her team, Olivia Kalata ’19 stood on the gymnastics floor, anxious, overwhelmed and overall excited to be performing in the girls gymnastics state meet on Feb. 17 at Palatine High School. Those nerves paid off, as she finished her floor routine with the best result among her three events, pleasing her teammates who were supporting her on the sidelines. 

“It was definitely a challenge going through the events by myself,” Kalata said. “But during each event, an eerie sense of calm fills me, along with confidence. There are always a bit of nerves and adrenaline present as well, so at the end of the events I felt relieved.” 

Finishing 15^th in beam, 14^th in floor and 23^rd all-around, Kalata represented LT’s team well. Her performance at state also effortlessly reflected the team’s success this season. Although Kalata was the only state qualifier, all 13 girls on the team contributed to the strong season. 

“We’ve met all of our goals this season,” varsity Head Coach Kari Karubas said. “Each meet revealed improvement and room for growth. The gymnasts performed well under pressure and competed hard.” 

These performances did not come at an easy cost. With a total of 11 meets throughout the three month season, as well as practices every day after school for three hours, the gymnasts put in a lot of effort to make the most of their season.  

“This team was cohesive and hardworking,” Karubas said. “They were eager to learn and excited to be apart of their team. It was their talent and leadership that carried us through.”  

As well as a strong work ethic, the team’s accomplishments were ultimately credited to their respect for one another, Karubas said. Their bonds were strengthened, leading to better relationships which shined through during meets.  

“We all have become like family over the course of this season,” four year varsity gymnast Brinn McDowell ’17 said. “Everyone has their own strengths that they bring to the team dynamic, so we all really became dependent of each other. We hung out outside of the gym as well, which made our in gym dynamic even closer. Knowing we had each other’s backs really helped to motivate all of us during the stressful season. “ 

The meets and long practices allow for a strong relationship between the team, while also providing the opportunity to meet and learn from gymnasts from other schools. 

“My favorite part about being on the team is the people I get to practice with everyday, as well as the new people I get to meet when we travel to different schools to compete,” Kalata said. “I love interacting with other gymnasts and learning new things about them, but I couldn’t imagine practicing with better girls than our own.” 

While routines and practices remained steady, a few changes to the team affected the varsity level and gymnastics program in general. Along with three new varsity teammates, the program also welcomed a new assistant varsity coach, Mike Morrison. 

“This year we had three new people join our team,” Kalata said. “It was awesome to see some old faces but exciting to see some new ones, I loved the way we’ve bonded over the season and how each one of us have gotten closer.” 

In the midst of a few changes, the team’s success was nothing new. 

“This team was a group of hard-working and committed gymnasts that I had the honor of working with, I’ll cherish them forever,” Karubas said.