Annandale High School freshman Brianna O’Brien competed at the Class 1A Minnesota State High School gymnastics meet Saturday, Feb. 24. It was her first trip to the state meet.
O’Brien earned 19th place on the balance beam out of a field of 48 girls competing at the University of Minnesota’s Maturi Pavilion.
She scored an 8.95 on her routine. The top score on the beam at the meet was a 9.525 by junior Peyton Jensberg of Detroit Lakes. The low score of the day was a 7.2.
O’Brien qualified to compete at state by placing second at the Section 6-1A tournament in Litchfield on Saturday, Feb. 21. Her score was 9.225 at the section tournament.
Routine had a high value
On the beam, gymnasts are judged on the difficulty of the routine they are attempting and how well they perform it. O’Brien worked with Annandale Head Coach Briquelle Joseph one-on-one in the days leading up to the state meet.
"We fine-tuned my routine and the help made a big difference in my performance," O’Brien said.
Joseph was at the tournament supporting and encouraging O’Brien.
O’Brien listed the following elements that were part of her performance at state: Her mount was a free jump to two feet; flutter kick; full turn, an aerial connected to a cartwheel; a required sitting on the beam dance move; a pike jump connected to a wolf 3/4 was part of O’Brien’s jump series; and a dismount with a standing back flip.
A missed connection on her tumble series was a reason for the difference between her section and state score.
"It is a high value routine," O’Brien said. "But I continue to work on my confidence and staying on the beam."
Athletic family
The 15-year-old O’Brien has been in gymnastics since she was 7 years old. She competes and trains not only at AHS, but also at Granite City Gymnastics in St. Cloud, where in the summer she trains and competes two or three days a week. At AHS she also participates in tennis and track.
O’Brien comes from two athletic parents, David and Jackie O’Brien. Jackie Klingensmith, a 1992 Annandale High School graduate, was a standout athlete in volleyball, gymnastics and track. David, a 1989 Monticello High School graduate, excelled at cross country and track.
O’Brien has three sisters: Kayleigh, a senior; Lizzie, an eighth grader; and Bella, a fifth grader. Lizzie and Kayleigh both competed on the Annandale varsity team this year and Bella does recreational gymnastics at Granite City Gymnastics.
Jackie is proud of all her daughters and the support that Lizzie and Kayleigh have given Brianna this year.
"Kayleigh has had to deal with an early-season concussion, but that didn’t get her down," Jackie said. "She is always the loudest, most encouraging voice in the gym for Brianna and Lizzie."
Jackie indicated that Brianna and Lizzie have always had a friendly but competitive relationship.
"Even with Lizzie’s knee issues this year and only being able to compete on the bars, she has stood by and supported Brianna all season," Jackie said.
Besides her parents and three sisters, Annandale teammates and friends Rayna Alston and Maggie Crowell were at the state meet cheering on O’Brien.
Ahead for Brianna
O’Brien is a hard worker and determined to improve her skills on the balance beam, the uneven parallel bars, the vault and floor exercise. And as only a freshman, her future should be bright in gymnastics.
"I have strong tumbling skills on the floor exercise, but I need to work on my jumps," O’Brien said.
She considers her routine on the bars to be strong, but says she has more work to do on her form and learning new skills. She also wants to improve her form and landings on vault.
O’Brien plans to attend college and is hopeful she will be able to continue with gymnastics.
"If given the opportunity, I would love to compete in college," she said. "It depends if my body is still in good condition."
Be the first to comment