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Ansonia
junior Samantha Shook is gearing up for the upcoming
gymnastics
season and hopes to improve from a year ago.
CNO file photo courtesy of
Ansonia High School
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Local student
ready for a different winter sport
Ansonia junior already giving back
By George Starks
ANSONIA- In Darke County, high school sports fans are usually gearing
up for one of three main sports.
Basketball, wrestling and swimming. Add to that bowling and the winter
sports season is rounded out.
Right? No so fast. Add one more sport... gymnastics.
There is a handful of high school athletes that are involved in this
sport and compete throughout the winter months, starting in January.
Since the age of four, Ansonia junior Samantha Shook has been working
on her routines as a Darke County gymnast.
Why gymnastics?
"My sister had some friends (Casey and Kylie Knick) that were into
gymnastics and I started going with them," said Shook. "They were going
to a place in Versailles called Sports Max. It was at the nebula, right
across from the old elementary school but it doesn't exist anymore."
While the Knick twins set the tone for Shook, it was Shook herself that
kept it going for her.
"I started at such a young age, I really loved it and I never wanted to
quit," Shook admitted. "I had to keep myself motivated to keep going.
It wasn't like there was a coach in my family."
During the fall, Shook is a member of the cheer squad for football.
When the fall sports season is over, she turns her attention to the
local YMCA and gets ready for her first love.
"Gymnastics comes first in the winter," said Shook. "I cheer during
football but not for basketball. I use my gymnastics for cheer,
especially in my tumbling. I think overall gymnastics has helped me
with my co-ordination but my first love is gymnastics."
According to Shook, when the fall sports season is in full swing, she
is not in the gym but once fall sports ends, she's right back at it.
"I just seem to be able to go back in the gym after the football and
cross country ends and pick up where I left off," said Shook. "I've
been doing this for so long, it's just second nature."
With four routines, the floor exercise, the parallel bars, the balance
beam and the vault, Shook said her best exercise is the balance beam
but there's room for improvement in the bars."
Shook said there's practice all year long at the YMCA with coach Jackie
Brisco.
"I doubt I will at the collage level after I graduate," said Shook. "I
do teach gymnastics now at the 'Y' and I really enjoy that. It's
possible I could compete in college. Anything's possible. I missed
making it to state by a half point so I really need to improve in all
areas and make it to state this year."
Along with Shook, there are three other girls in the county that do
gymnastics. Two are from Greenville with the other being a Franklin
Monroe student.
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