Valparaiso junior gymnast Gabi Grisafi places at IHSAA state tournament
VALPARAISO, Ind. — On Saturday, March 12, high school gymnasts from all across the Hoosier state gathered to compete in the IHSAA 2021-2022 Gymnastics State Tournament at Ball State University鈥檚 Worthen Arena in Muncie. Competition was fierce among the female athletes.
Valparaiso High School gymnast, Gabriella 鈥淕abi鈥� Grisafi was among the top competitors placing 2nd on bars and 4th in the all-around. She tied for 5th in vault, placed 8th in floor and 11th in beam. A junior, this is her third year making it to state and her best state result so far.
Reflecting on this past season, one of Gabi鈥檚 best memories was winning the Viking Pairs competition with her partner Rita Piech. 鈥淓ach of us did two events and our scores were added together,鈥� she explains. 鈥淲e were also up against six other teams trying to place as many pairs to win as a team.鈥� And win they did!聽 Valparaiso High School took first place.
Gabi鈥檚 goals for next year are, 鈥渢o beat my scores from this year and place better at state and with my team,鈥� she shares. This year, the Valparaiso High School team placed 3rd in state out of 12 teams which is also a tremendous accomplishment.
According to Gabi, what she loves most about gymnastics is that there is no end point. 鈥淭here are so many challenges to overcome but you can always get better and improve on things. You can always do something harder in your routine if you want to. But it鈥檚 a really mentally and physically tough sport. You really have to be in check on both factors.鈥�
Gabi鈥檚 favorite event is beam but it makes her mom, Gina Grisafi, hold her breath every time. 鈥淪he started tumbling when she was four years old,鈥� Gina shares. 鈥淎nd she鈥檚 loved it from the get-go. 鈥淚鈥檓 so proud of her determination and pushing herself to do something that鈥檚 so physically and mentally hard. Gymnastics is grueling and I鈥檝e seen her push through the pain of injuries. I鈥檓 in awe of her! I also admire her ability to stay focused on her training, eat well, get good sleep, do her schoolwork, and get to practices. She never misses a beat!鈥�
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