Gymnastics: Divine gymnasts strong once again in major competitions

Another summer, another impressive performance by the gymnasts from Gymnastics Divine in Dixon. The gym took home five state titles and four more top-5 finishes at the state meet in Belvidere on April 26, then followed that up with two gold medals, one silver medal, and three fourth-place finishes at the Junior Olympics in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on August 2.

But the most moving moment for all involved might have come off the mat.

A year after handing out the Amber Delancey Spirit and Dedication Special Award, named after Gymnastics Divine founder and coach Deb Delancey’s daughter and given out annually at the Junior Olympics, 16-year-old Cristina Boyd was surprised to hear her name called as this year’s winner.

“It was pretty cool,” Boyd said. “It meant a lot to me, because I helped hand it out last year, and Deb told me that I could win it if I worked hard.”

But what caught Boyd off-guard was the fact that she didn’t even compete at the Junior Olympics. After placing second at the state meet in the sub-advanced division, Boyd broke both of her ankles during the final competition before the Junior Olympics.

In a wheelchair for almost a month, and crutches after that, Boyd never expected that she’d be accepting an award while her teammates competed at the highest level.

“I thought about the award a lot while I was training and competing,” Boyd said, “but it didn’t really come to mind after my injury. It was really frustrating, especially at first, because I wanted to go out there and do it, but I knew I couldn’t.

“But I told myself it was going to get better, and I just had to stay positive. When it was taken away from me, I realized what I had and how much it means to me, and the award was a very special part of that.”

Boyd has been cleared for cheerleading, but still has about a month before doctors release her for tumbling and gymnastics competition. And while she can’t wait to get back out onto the mat, the mental fortitude she has shown through it all is a staple of the athletes at Gymnastics Divine.

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They say pictures are worth 1,000 words. The photo of Dana Merriman’s that Deb Delancey loves to show off speaks volumes.

The 12-year-old is standing in her leotard on a gymnastics mat, her hands covering her mouth, nose and cheeks as a look of disbelief sits perched upon her face.

It’s the exact moment when Merriman realized she had won the gold medal in the advanced beginner division at the Junior Olympics – even after not feeling terribly confident during the 2-day event.

“My warm-ups were rough and terrible both days, and at finals, I almost wiped out on my second pass,” Merriman said. “But I just kept moving, and that’s what helped me not fall.”

Merriman came into the Junior Olympics with some fire in her belly, after placing fourth at the state meet and missing out on a spot at nationals. But she never anticipated pulling off the victory in Virginia, especially when she was sitting in third place after preliminaries.

“It was disappointing when I didn’t get to go to nationals,” Merriman said. “But going to Junior Olympics made up for that.

“Our coaches taught us two things that I always say to myself before I compete. One is from a movie: “Blue skies in, grey skies out.’ and that means you breathe in the good thoughts – the ‘blue skies’ – and forget about all the bad things. The other one is, ‘I’m cool, calm, and in control,’ and that always helps me.”

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That mantra is one you hear over and over when talking to Gymnastics Divine athletes. It’s one that Delancey instills in every kid she coaches from Day 1 – and it’s the reason the gym has had so much success (67 USTA state champions, 50 national champions, 122 Junior Olympic medals, 2 All-American awards) over the years.

It also worked for Ava Hackman this summer, as the 10-year-old placed first at state and fourth at the Junior Olympics.

“It was exciting, and I was so happy to get first place,” Hackman said. “I was nervous, but I blocked out the distractions, just closed my eyes and breathed in and out and told myself, ‘I’m calm, cool and in control.’ Then I went out and did well with my flip-flops.”

Hackman wasn’t sure she heard right when all the results were tallied, as she had spent her entire routine just thinking about doing each and every little thing right. When it was all over, she was just happy she hadn’t made a mistake; the first-place trophy was a big-time bonus.

“I was afraid i was going to do more flip-flops than I should have,” Hackman said, “so I had to count them, two in my first pass and three in my second pass. The rest of it I thought was good, but I kind of didn’t believe it when they told me I won.

“And I was happy to get my trophy. It’s too big for my shelf downstairs, so I put it on my TV stand instead.”

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Madelyn Henry has been there before. The 12-year-old they call “Match” has been to big meets before, and added a first-place state finish to her other two wins in meets since moving to Gymnastics Divine from Saltos Gym in Sterling.

Henry took top honors in the novice division in Belvidere, joining Hackman, Teller, Malloy Bushkol (advanced beginner) and Robert Tourtillott (intermediate) as state champions.

An outgoing and confident young lady, “Match” has enjoyed her changeover from all-around tumbling to power tumbling, and plans to stick with it as long as she can.

“Power tumbling, since it’s back and front skills, is more risky and more fun, with more adrenaline,” Henry explained. “Regular all-around tumbling is more little routines, mostly dancing. Power tumbling is a lot more gymnastics – flips, roundoffs – and a little harder, which I like.”

She credited Delancey for giving her the mental tools to complement the physical prowess she has built over her years of tumbling.

“You just need to visualize everything,” Henry said, “because if you see yourself doing well, then you will do it.

“I’ve kind of gotten used to the noise and the people, but I still took a step back on one of my passes. But the mental training helped me complete it and get first place; without being able to calm down, I think I would’ve fallen.”