The boys gymnastics team waited nervously for their state scores to come in at Hoffman Estates High School last May 15, 2021. The tensions were high as the current second place team was finishing their last event, Randal Yonan ‘22 said. 

“It was surreal when we were finally called up as the team that won state,” Yonan said. “We had such a great meet and were so confident after our last event.”

Ending last season as state champions, the boys gymnastics team is looking to start strong and hopefully regain their title again this season, Alec Paras ‘22 said. 

“The way we will repeat a state title is through tons of work, focusing on the minor details, improving our scores, and perfecting our routines,” Paras said.

As one of the stronger members on the team, Paras has also created personal goals to help him become a great asset.

“My personal goal this season is to make improvements on all of my scores from last season,” he said. “I am also trying to be a strong leader and influence our younger teammates.”

The boys’ season has not been affected much by COVID-19, since numerous mitigations have been lifted. The team hopes cases will stay low throughout the spring, Paras said. 

“Last season was much tougher than this one in terms of being able to practice and do team activities due to COVID-19,” he said. “However, this year, we have much more freedom.” 

As a member of the state team last year, Matthew Adler ‘24 looks forward to this season as well. He believes there will be hard competition this year and some challenges ahead. 

“We did lose a lot of seniors from last year, but we will have to step out of our comfort zone and compete hard to regain our title,” Adler said. “I know Yonan and Shane Kenna ‘22 will be ready to fill in the seniors’ shoes and become great leaders for the team.”

With many new gymnasts in the gym, the team hopes to create new connections with each other to become more supportive during competitions. Yonan and other members of the team worked together over the off-season in order to prepare for upcoming meets too.

“The environment in the gym is great because we all lift each other up when practicing and competing routines, or when someone is trying to complete a difficult move,” Yonan said. 

At the Hinsdale Central Invitational on Saturday, March 5, LT took home first place with a new school record score of 163.60. The team will compete next on Wednesday, April 6 at 4 p.m. at Glenbard West High School.