Looking SHARP(ie)
Downers Grove Co-Op wins state gymnastics title using a little ink
The ink didn’t lie.
Heading into the postseason, the Downers Grove co-op gymnastics athletes put Sharpie to arms and wrote a word that would inspire them.
“The girls picked a focus word and wrote it on their arm, and that’s what they were supposed to remember when they went to compete,” coach Kristyn Campos said. “That helped to settle their nerves. The kids were using words like ‘confidence,’ ‘calm’ and ‘team.’ Mine was ‘proud.’’’
And proud she was when the season was over.
For the second time in three seasons, the Trostangs – a hybrid name of Trojans and Mustangs – won the Illinois High School Association state championship. They posted a 148.45 score to narrowly beat out Lincoln-Way’s co-op team (145.55) and Prairie Ridge (145.425) on February 21-22 at Palatine High School.
It’s also the third year in a row the team won a trophy as it finished first in 2023 and second in 2024.
“This season has been one of the best ever because of my teammates and coaches.”
— GENEVIEVE HERION
The second-place finish from last year caused Campos to change up the team’s approach this season.
“Last year, we felt the pressure,” she said. “Everyone expected us to repeat that, and there was a lot of conversation about that. This season, I really took a different approach to it. We did a lot more mental health training, handling anxiety and expectations, and working together as a team. Our motto changed this year into managing what we can do and not what anyone else can do. We set our own expectations.”
Downers Grove’s Genevieve Herion won the state title on the beam for the second straight year. Photo courtesy of Downers Grove Co-Op Gymnastics
Senior Genevieve Herion closed her storied career on a huge note, winning the all-around title with a 38.075 and winning the balance team with a 9.575. She is the first gymnast since 2014 to win back-to-back titles on the beam. She won in 2024 with a 9.525.
The word on her arm was “confidence.”
“I chose that word because my whole season, I wanted to build my confidence, and it was a reminder that I can do it,” she said. “I knew I was going to go out there and do my best, and I knew that a little confidence goes a long way.”
Herion, a Downers Grove South student, will leave the school with seven state medals.
“She’s been here three years, but her impact was quite significant to the team and to the program,” Campos said of Herion. “I know she wanted that title. That was one of her goals. Even if she wouldn’t say it, I know it was. To see her have success, my gosh, I couldn’t be more proud of her. That’s all you want as a coach. You want to see them happy, smiling, and proud of themselves, and I think she accomplished everything she could have.”
Herion also finished second on the vault with a 9.6750. Sophomore teammate Caroline Phillip took seventh in that event with a 9.2450, and junior Kaelyn Landry was 11th with a 9.2500.
Landry took fifth place in the uneven parallel bars with a 9.745, and Herion was sixth with a 9.245. She also claimed eighth in the floor exercise event with 9.100.
Sophomore Edith Condon, junior Emilie Kutcha, and senior Allison Palansky also qualified for the state meet.
Herion was scheduled to appear in a national meet in Florida in May and then call it a career. She plans on pursuing a nursing degree. She developed a love for helping people while taking care of her brother, Calvin, 25, who has been in a wheelchair and ventilator all of his life.
“He’s still a big part of my life and I love him,” Herion said of her brother. “When I was little, I always wanted to help out with him. I help feed him and clean him and I love to play video games with him.”
The 18-year-old Herion said she was in gymnastics when she was two and loved “flipping around.”
She will miss it.
“It’s definitely bittersweet,” she said. “I can’t believe this chapter of my life is coming to a close. This is something I have done my whole life. But I’ve had a really great experience, especially in my final year. This season has been one of the best ever because of my teammates and coaches.”
The Downers Grove’s co-op gymnastics team won its second state championship in three years.
Photo courtesy of Downers Grove Co-Op Gymnastics
