This story is part of The Columbian’s High School Winter Sports 2017-18 Preview, available in the Sunday, Dec. 17 print edition.
When Nina Evans joined the Mountain View gymnastics team before last season, coach Cristi Westcott said she was a broken gymnast.
“It’s not uncommon with kids who have been involved in gymnastics as long as Nina has,” Westcott said. “But we’re sure glad she’s here.”
After nearly a dozen years of the demanding schedule of club gymnastics, Evans had developed a back injury that threatened to end her participation in a sport that had been a major part of her life since she was 4 years old.
High school gymnastics offered a chance to keep her career going.
And it reinvigorated her love for the sport.
“Club gymnastics can be so demanding, so stressful,” Evans said. “Even though you are part of a team in club gymnastics, the main focus is getting better as an individual. But in high school gymnastics, it’s more about the team, supporting each other, making friends and having fun.”
In club gymnastics, Evans would practice five hours a day for five days a week. By comparison, high school gymnastics teams practice about 5-6 hours a week.
That schedule provided less stress to her body and more time for interests outside the gym, and others inside it.
She’s active in student leadership at Mountain View and works as a youth gymnastics coach at Northpointe Gymnastics. But what she enjoys most about her newfound free time is spending it with friends and family.
And her family on the Mountain View gymnastics team is growing.
“Last year, we only had seven girls on the team,” Evans said. “But this year, we’ve got 16. That makes it more fun, and louder, too.”
Westcott said Evans has played a role in the team growth.
“We have a lot of newbies, first-time gymnasts, on the team, and some of them could be intimidated when they see someone like Nina, who has been doing this so long,” Westcott said. “But that’s not the case. Nina is a big help. She’s very encouraging to her teammates, saying ‘You can do this.’ I think it’s that coach’s mentality she gets from coaching the kids. It’s like we have three coaches out here — me, my assistant and Nina.”
Despite her years of experience, Evans was unsure how she would fare in high school gymnastics or how her body would react.
But she went on to be selected the 3A/2A Greater St. Helens League gymnast of the year, advancing to the state meet on vault and bars.
“The first day of the state meet is the stressful day,” Evans said. “You’re thinking ‘Am I going to fall on the bars, or am I going bobble on my landing and not advance.’ Once you’re in the finals, it’s just go out there, have fun and see what happens.”
What happened last year was a third-place finish on the vault and a fourth-place medal on the bars, helping her earn Columbian All-Region honors.
Now, she’s using last year’s success as a springboard for bigger things this season.
“I made it state in two events last year,” she said. “So my goal is to make it in three events this year, maybe four. Oh, and hopefully get more teammates at state, too.”
Gymnasts to watch
Sarah Ellis, Columbia River: Senior battled back from injury to win the 3A/2A state champion on the balance beam and placed seventh on the vault, earning her second All-Region gymnast of the year honor.
Morgan Fitzer, Columbia River: Senior earned first-team all-3A/2A GSHL honors last season on the vault, second team on the bars and honorable mention on the floor exercise.
Emily Mattsen, Heritage: Senior placed seventh at the 4A state meet on the vault, placed third at district in the all-around and was a second-team all-4A GSHL pick.
Shae McGee, Camas: Freshman is off to an impressive start to her prep career, posting an all-around score of 36.7 in an early-season meet. Part of many new faces on Camas team coming off a runner-up finish at state last season.
Logan Nelson, Union: The sophomore earned second-team all-4A GSHL honors on the bars as a freshman and has posted a 9.1 on floor exercise this season.
Jax Purwins, Camas: Senior was third at the 4A state meet on bars and fourth in all-around. A first-team all-4A GSHL pick, she was the district all-around runner-up.
Key dates
Jan. 13, Winterfest: Columbia River High School hosts the meet, bringing together all of the gymnastics programs in Clark County for a midseason showcase.
Feb. 3, District Extravaganza: Battle Ground hosts the 4A and 3A/2A district meets as gymnasts compete for berths to the state meet.
Feb. 15-17, State Championships: State meet at the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall.
