One team, one dream

Carmel’s girls gymnastic team has its eyes on the prize

With the team at its largest in four years, Carmel’s Girls’ Gymnastics is finding its groove.

“Everything just seems to be falling into place.” junior and co-captain Colleen Kadowaki said. “We have the numbers, the experience, the talent, and most of all the heart,”

The girls are off to an incredible start already, with a first place win at the Conant High School Invitational on Saturday, December 12th against teams that had placed at the IHSA State Tournament last year.

Ranked sixth in the state last year, the team never made it past the sectional round. That loss ended up making the team work even harder this year. The idea that hardship brings a team closer together is a lesson that some girls on the Carmel gymnastics team know better than others.

“Even though we didn’t end up going to state, senior and co-captain Antonia Durnil said. “I think that knowing we should have been there has been incredible motivation for all of the girls.”

 

Little mistakes teach big lessons

Durnil has been on the team since her first year at Carmel when she was the only freshman on the team. At that time, the team was riding high, winning the IHSA State Tournament three times in a row.

Simple mistakes at the sectional tournament that year brought an end to the streak by 0.025 of a point. It wasn’t the loss that sticks with Durnil, it was the way that the team’s leaders handled the situation.

“The seniors acknowledged their mistakes and went back to the gym the following Monday,” Durnil said. “They taught me to hold your chin up no matter how defeated you feel.”

Now Durnil works hard to pass what she has learned to her younger teammates.

“Failure does not define you,” Durnil said.

 

One step at a time

Head coach Nicole Stroup has coached Durnil for four years. She says she is proud of Durnil’s growth and maturity.

“Every year she exhibits more and more strength and focus for the team,” Stroup said. “She is focused on one event at a time and attacking it to do the best for her team.”

Stroup is most excited about the energy she feels from her girls in the gym during practice and and at meets, saying the team has a really close bond.

“Our team belief is: one team, one dream, state 2016,” Stroup said. “And we are ready to do whatever it takes to get us there.”

 

Guardian Angel

The girls of Carmel gymnastics consider themselves a family, not just a team.

When it came time to create a team t-shirt this year, the girls wanted to support junior Madison Graff who recently lost her mother to a battle with cancer.

The team chose purple, which was Mrs. Graff’s favorite color, to be its power color. The shirts also feature a pair of white angel wings on the back side. The team says it’s a special reminder about the meaning of family.

“It’s a great reminder to give it our all and not hold anything back,” senior Antonia Durnil said.

Graff said she was touched and honored by the memorial.

“The unity and compassion of the team makes Carmel gymnastics so special to me,” Graff said. “They are all my family.”

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