ONW’s Briggs to wrap up gymnastics career at state

Source: The Star

2008 file photo

Olathe Northwest’s Elayna Briggs captured fourth place in the all-around competition at last year’s Kansas state gymnastics meet.

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All signs pointed to a special senior season for Elayna Briggs, who finished fourth in the all-around at the Kansas state gymnastics meet last fall behind a trio of seniors.

The state runner-up in the vault and a medalist on the balance beam as well, the Olathe Northwest senior entered the season as one of the favorites to vie for the all-around crown.

But rather than enjoy a victory lap of a season, Briggs has endured mostly trials and tribulations. She won the all-around title at the Shawnee Mission North Invitational in mid-September, but really that’s when the trouble started.

“The last month has been frustrating, because I know I can do a lot better than I have been,” Briggs said. “I haven’t been feeling 100 percent for a while now, even as far back as Shawnee Mission North. It’s a different season than last year.”

Whether it’s a pair of sprained ankles suffered when she landed a vault short six weeks ago or just trouble breathing, the season has become quite a challenge for Briggs.

“She’s been very sick,” said Ravens coach Julie Bayha, who also coaches the Olathe East gymnastics team. “There were a few practices I actually sent her home. You could just tell when you looked at her or listened to her talk or watched her practice that she was really out of breath and not feeling well.”

By the Sunflower League meet, nothing seemed to be going Briggs’ way anymore. She finished seventh in the all-around and didn’t even medal, but that also provided the chance to reflect.

“That was when she was feeling the worst and her ankles were bothering her the most, so I wouldn’t say it was disappointing,” Bayha said. “But sometimes it’s good to take a step back and say, ‘Hey, this is what I need to do to get back in it.’ It gave her a chance to look at what’s going on around her.”

Gymnastics have always been important to Briggs. She has competed in gymnastics since third grade, but first enrolled in a class at age 5.

Her gymnastics career is also winding down. The state meet today in Newton, Kan., marks the last time she’ll leap onto the balance beam, hoping to wow nearby judges.

“I’ve been doing it for so long, it’s a big part of my life,” Briggs said, her voice cracking ever so slightly. “But it’s time to stop. I’m falling apart. I know when to call it quits.”

Briggs plans to pursue track and cheerleading in college. This weekend, then, marks the end of an era in her life.

At the end of her junior season, Briggs knew her fellow Ravens teammates wouldn’t be coming out for gymnastics again. But giving up her favorite sport wasn’t an option for Briggs.

“I’m proud of her and glad she came back this year,” Bayha said. “She obviously has a strong character to come represent her school on her own. That alone makes me proud of her.”

She’s taken the week between regionals and state to rest up and return to health.

“I’ve got a lot of sleep this past week,” Briggs said. “That’s pretty much all I’ve been doing. I still don’t feel 100 percent, but I don’t really know where I’d fall just because it’s been so long since I’ve felt 100 percent.”

Briggs is 100 percent about one thing, though, she’s ready to give it her all at state, which just might be enough to leave her on top at her final gymnastics meet.

“I’m not focusing on where I’ll end up placing,” Briggs said. “I just want to be consistent all around and try to hit my routines on Saturday. I have a score in mind, but I’m not putting it out there. I don’t want to have to deal with the pressure.”

- 2009-11-06 17:31:02