Mirski sisters leading Carmel to top

MUNDELEIN – To have a good gymnastics team that has consistently placed itself at the top of the state leader board is an impressive accomplishment for any school.

To have a pair of sisters lead the way is equally as impressive.

Amber and Kristin Mirski, students at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, have been in gymnastics since they were 5- and 4-years-old, respectively. The senior and sophomore love the sport and plan to pursue it at the collegiate level, with Amber Mirski hoping to attend Ball State next year.

Even if you’re new to the sport of gymnastics, it would be easy to tell that the Mirski sisters are good at what they do. Their names always wind up at the top of the score sheets.

"To have them as consistently as two of your top all-arounders, it's more uncommon," Carmel's gymnastics coach Sarah Doyle said of the sisters. "Are they, and [sophomore] Jen Zeller, important to this team? Absolutely. Their talent sets the bar and our other girls are pulling up to that level in their routines."

Meeting expectations
Carmel is used to excellence in its gymnastics program. Since 2005, when the team placed third in state, the girls gymnastics squad has not placed out of the top five.

Last year, the Carmel team went downstate and placed fifth, which was shy of the team’s goal of taking at least third place, Amber Mirski said.

That’s something she and her teammates do not want to have happen again this year.

“We as a team do not want to come home empty-handed,” Amber Mirski said. “We had the talent to do better than we did [last year].”

The older Mirski sister has similar expectations of herself this season. Last year, Amber Mirski placed sixth in state in the all-around, which included a tied-third place finish in her floor routine. Still, it wasn’t enough for the 17-year-old.

“Last year, my goal was to be on the podium, and I got sixth,” Amber Mirski said. “Fifth [place gets] on the podium. [I want] the podium.”

Her sister, though two years younger, is not much less ambitious. Kristin Mirski placed 26th in state in the all-around last year, tying for ninth place in the parallel bars. Her goal this year is to get to the state finals, and help her team get the recognition she feels its deserves.

Score sheets
So far, the team as a whole is looking good. And the name Mirski is almost never far from the top.
In early December, this is what a dual meet (against Vernon Hills) looked like for Carmel.

• Vault: Tied for first, A. Mirski, K. Mirski.
• Uneven parallel bars: First, Amber Mirski. Second, Jen Zeller. Third, Kristin Mirski.
• Balance beam: First, Jen Zeller. Second, Amber Mirski. Third, Kristin Mirski.
• Floor exercise: First, Amber Mirski. Second, Kristin Mirski. Third, Jen Zeller.
• Overall: First, Amber Mirski. Second, Jen Zeller. Third, Kristin Mirski.

“They’re excellent gymnasts,” Doyle said simply.

At the Lake County meet Jan. 16 in Mundelein, which featured nine teams and nearly 45 competitors in each category, the girls continued to excel.

Amber Mirski placed second in the all around, with a second-place score in uneven bars and fourth places finishes in beam and floor.

Kristin Mirski placed ninth in the all around, boasting a fourth place finish in vault and fifth place in uneven bars.

Jen Zeller placed 19th in the all around.

Leadership
There are different ways to lead a gymnastics team.

Kristin Mirski and fellow sophomore Jen Zeller, who also consistently is at the top of the leaderboard, are leaders based on their performance, Doyle said. Amber Mirski and her teammate Lauren Pytel are senior leaders and captains whom the younger girls can look up to.

Both sisters are quick to point out their teammates share the load of being leaders, especially this year.
"A lot of people [like Jen and Lauren] came in with so much more confidence [this year]," Amber Mirski said. "It makes our team better. When we walk into a meet, it's not like little scairdy cats, but with confidence."

Doyle said Amber Mirski’s best days in gymnastics are yet to come.

“Amber, she just competes like she’s a champion,” Doyle said. “She decides what she wants, and 99 percent of the time she gets it because she mentally prepares herself for that.”

As for Kristin Mirski and Jen Zeller, those two will continue to lead her Carmel team, but they too, have potential.

“I want them [Division-1],” Doyle said. “Those girls definitely have the talent.”

In the meantime, the girls are looking forward to the IHSA regional meet, which begins Friday, Feb. 5.

“Those two, plus Jen, have the potential to get in the 9.7 range,” Doyle said. “And they don’t give those scores away.”