Judges' smiles boost confidence of Fowlerville gymnast Morgan Thomas
One of the ways Fowlerville gymnast Morgan Thomas knows she’s nailed a routine is to look directly at the judges’ faces.
“Usually, I can see they’re smiling after my routine,” she said. “It does boost my confidence and always helps me when they’re smiling and salute me. It helps me perform better.”
There must’ve been a lot of smiling faces looking back at Thomas after she performed her floor exercise at the Jeanne Caruss Memorial Invitational Jan. 28 at Lakeland High School.
Thomas received a school-record score of 9.75, helping her finish second place all-around among Division 2 gymnasts with a score of 35.225.
She was also third on balance beam (8.925) and fifth on vault (8.85).
“It did feel like it was one of my better routines,” said Thomas, a sophomore who also plays volleyball and tennis. “I got off the floor and I saluted and I knew it was going to be a good score. All my work paid off.”
The routine is similar to the one she performed in the state meet last season when she placed fourth in Division 2 with a score of 9.3.
“I had to add some new things this year with some new requirements,” Thomas said. “I just think it added more to my routine. I like my routine so much. It’s so much fun when I get to compete.”
It helps that, of the four disciplines in gymnastics, floor is the one Thomas enjoys the most. Athletes usually excel in that which brings them the most joy.
“I like that you get to go out and dance and really show all the people, the judges, who I really am,” Thomas said. “It allows me to express all my feelings.”
Thomas’ goals this season are to make it to the state meet as an all-around competitor and to make the podium (top three) in floor. She qualified in floor and vault last season.
“She’s having a great season,” Fowlerville coach Katie Paquette said. “Last year, she made it to states on vault and floor. She seems to be doing really well on balance beam this year and is trying to work on her bars. Her ultimate goal is to get good in all four to improve her weakest event.”
Thomas has been competing in gymnastics since kindergarten. In what is essentially an individual sport, she enjoys the team aspect of competing for Fowlerville.
“My team is some of my favorite people,” she said. “When I accomplish something, it’s not just for me, but for the whole team.
“My team is a co-op with three other schools. The fact I get to help other schools and I get to contribute to a lot more than just me really makes this sport a big part of me. The fact I get to do this so young makes me a better person, I feel like.”
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillKhan.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Judges' smiles boost confidence of Fowlerville gymnast Morgan Thomas
