When she was younger, Corynn Morgan missed a lot of fun events with friends because she was focused on gymnastics. However, the dedication and sacrifices paid off.
“I’ve made a lot of friends, a lot of friendships [and] learned different lessons that challenged my brain,” she said. “It’s taught me to step into a leadership role. I’ve never had to take charge of anything or be above anybody. I had to watch people younger than me, which definitely helped me understand people better and how to talk to [them]. [It also helped me] to confront things and to help people with their challenges.”
Corynn ended her high school career with a trip to state on March 14 where she competed in all divisions at the IHSAA Gymnastics State Meet. Accompanying her was sophomore Ymani Shirrells, who competed in the vault event and is just starting out her high school gymnastics career.
“My experience at State was really good. I got to experience meeting new people. I got to watch new things that I thought were interesting,” she said. “It was a long day, but I would say that I had fun and would definitely want to experience that again.”
In preparation for the big competition, the girls had many personal challenges that they needed to overcome in order to perform to their best ability.
“My biggest struggle was mental thinking since it is a very mental sport. So [struggles like] getting out of my head and still being able to perform to my best abilities,” Ymani said.
Like many sports, gymnastics requires a strong support system and inspiration in order to stay motivated when competing.
“My biggest motivation was definitely my mom because she put in a lot of hard work and energy into doing things for me to be able to do gymnastics and get to where I am today,” Senior Corynn said.
Both gymnasts also name Coach Diane Roberts, the MHS gymnastics coach for 53 years, as a big source of encouragement. Likewise, Coach Roberts expresses her content with both performances, stating that making state was not an easy accomplishment.
“The number of high level gymnasts in the state of Indiana numbers hundreds. It is not an easy task to qualify for State,” she said. “Both Corynn and Ymani are risk-takers with strong work ethic. They pursue the perfection of gymnastic skills every day. Gymnastic judges enjoy the energy and unique personalities they bring to their performances. We are Pirate Proud of these gymnasts and their awesome teammates.”
Despite not qualifying for the competition as a team, the MHS gymnastics team traveled together to State in order to show support for Corynn and Ymani.
“My favorite moment at State was just being able to bond with my teammates for the last time and getting to experience the competition together as a team,” Ymani said. “[Gymnastics] has given me a lot of relationships, friendships and bonds that I will never forget.”
Although State was a big highlight of the season, the girls are also able to reflect on their high school gymnastics journey as a whole.
“It taught me important life lessons like to be patient, know what I am capable of outside of gymnastics and that I’m strong,” Ymani said. “It helped me become a better person overall.”
With State being Corynn’s last time competing, she expresses her mixed feelings about the end of her high school gymnastics career.
“Overall, I feel very happy about everything, but I’m also sad about some things,” Corynn said. “Gymnastics has been a big part of my whole life. It has been my whole life. I’ve been doing it for the last 14 years. I’ve only lived four years without gymnastics and now I have to live the rest of my life without it.”
