Name: Nora Terhaar

School: Prairie Ridge

Sport: Gymnastics

Why she was selected: Terhaar, a junior, helped lead the Wolves to the girls gymnastics state championship with a 145.8 to 145.475 victory over runner-up Carmel, the sixth state title in school history and first in four years. Terhaar was third in the all-around.

Terhaar also finished third in the vault finals and fifth on floor. Junior Bryleigh Cooper was second on balance beam, third on floor exercise and seventh on vault, and junior Tess Morton was ninth on uneven bars and 10th on floor for the Wolves.

For her performance, Terhaar was selected as the Northwest Herald Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Terhaar answered a few questions from the Northwest Herald.

What did it mean to you to win the state championship?

Terhaar: To me, winning the state championship meant that all the hours, blood, sweat and tears the team and I poured into the season had finally paid off. And with our co-op being dissolved next season, it was one last chance to go out, compete and give it my all.

What challenges did your team have to overcome to win state?

Terhaar: Throughout the season, my team overcame injuries, mental blocks and especially illness with half of the team and coaches being sick with the flu the week of state, myself included. I ended up losing 7-10 pounds and only had one full practice before the first day of state.

Did you do anything special to celebrate winning state?

Terhaar: After winning the state championship, my teammates and I went to celebrate our successful season at Georgio’s Pizza. We talked about all the highs and lows we got the blessing of experiencing together and celebrated our seniors in giving them one final goodbye.

What will you remember most about this season?

Terhaar: Something I’ll remember the most about this season is all the hard work me and my teammates put in at practice. Many of my teammates were returning to compete after years of not doing gymnastics. I had competed with a couple of them in the past, and I will be forever grateful I got to share one more unforgettable season full of fun and laughter with them.

How did you get your start in gymnastics?

Terhaar: I first started gymnastics around 18 months old, when my parents decided to put me into Kindergym classes because of how much I was climbing everywhere. I started competing competitively in first grade, training four hours a day, five days a week, and haven’t slowed down since.

What is something most people don’t know about gymnastics?

Terhaar: I think most people just look at gymnastics and see the cool flips and tricks, but what they don’t realize is the physical and mental toughness that goes into them. Besides training for four hours a day, gymnasts, myself included, are constantly in a mental battle, whether it’s being scared to go for a skill, the twisties or a full-blown mental block. Gymnastics requires mental toughness, grit and the ability to overcome adversity, and it’s important to give credit where credit is due.

What is your best sports fashion tip?

Terhaar: My best sports fashion advice is to have a matching hair ribbon with all your teammates. This is a tradition the Prairie Ridge gymnastics team has done for years, and I like to think it gives us good luck for competitions. It’s also very important to have hair glitter.

What food can you not stand to eat?

Terhaar: I’m really not a picky eater, but if I had to pick something, it would probably be oysters.

What scares you?

Terhaar: Something that really scares me is getting injured and not being able to do the sport I love, and I’m especially scared of tearing my Achilles.

Who is your funniest teammate?

Terhaar: Lucy (Hawryluk) because she is always cracking jokes and keeping the whole group entertained.

Which teammate inspires you the most?

Terhaar: I would say all of my teammates have pushed me to be a better version of myself, but the teammate who inspires me the most is Gracie Fujino. She was one of our seniors this season, and she inspired me because she was coming back to gymnastics for the first time after three years off, and she worked hard every day to get skills and gain spots in our lineup, and ultimately helped the team win the state title.