Snyder 1st on vault

Katie Snyder was the last gymnast the vault judges saw. She left a great impression.

Snyder won Indiana Gymnastics state vault title in the Level 8 14-year-old division Sunday with an 9.6 at the meet in Madison.

"It was amazing," said Snyder Tuesday during practice at Flip 360 Gymnastics in Portland. "I couldn't believe I won."

The East Jay Middle School eighth grader is in her first year competing at Level 8. And she had never finished in the top 10 in an event in previous years at the state finals.

But as she approached her last event of the day, Snyder knew what was at stake.

She had already posted scores of 8.85 on the floor exercise, 8.5 on the balance beam and 7.4 on the uneven bars. That left her within reach of a trip to the regional meet, needing an all-around score of 34.5 to get there.

Snyder understood reaching that score was a long shot, but she and coach Meadow Wilson also knew she would need to go all out to make it.

So as she warmed up her vault, they made a decision.

"She usually throws tucks," said Wilson. "She had some good height. She was warming up really well, so I talked to her about throwing a pike. ... We decided to do pikes."

The piked Tsukahara, which is a quarter-turn onto the vault table followed by a back somersault off, has a higher level of difficulty. It has a possible score of 10.0 while the tucked Tsukahara starts at a 9.8.

"Most of the time we won't throw it at practice," said Snyder. "I warmed up tucks. ... She told me just to go for it.

"It was the last event of the day. I was the last one to go. And Meadow told me, 'You have to throw it. It's the only way you're going to make regionals.'"

So throw it she did. And the result could not have been much better.

Snyder stuck her first attempt, and landed the second as well. Her score flashed on the screen as a 9.6, edging the 9.575 posted by Kennedy Lake of Bloomington's Rising State Gymnastics just minutes earlier.

"She did very well," said Wilson. "She was excited when her score came up. ... She was shaking. ... She was happy."

Snyder's vault score left her just short of a berth in the regional meet, which includes gymnasts from Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Kentucky. But it was hardly a disappointment as she walked away with state gold.

"Coming in as a first-year level 8 it was a goal to make regionals," said Snyder. "But I was so proud of myself for winning. (Making regional) would have been icing on the cake."

Snyder, who said she spends about 16 hours a week in the gym, had an excellent first season at Level 8. She finished first on the vault with a 9.1 at the Fitness and Fun meet in Indianapolis in January, and also had a 9.275 on the event at the Jan. 24 Judges Cup.

"I think her attitude is one of the things that leads her to be a great gymnast," said Wilson. "She's open-minded, and she's not scared to take on something that's challenging. She wants to learn; she wants to grow. ... She's always trying to do more."[[In-content Ad]]