by Beau Wicker
The balance beam is perhaps the most dramatic piece of apparatus in women’s gymnastics.
The unforgiving beam on which competitors perform daring exercises is just 3.9 inches wide and over four feet off the ground.
Despite an ankle injury that has hampered her this season, Logansport junior Madison Baldini is set to compete on the beam at Saturday’s gymnastics state finals at Perry Meridian High School in Indianapolis. It’s Baldini’s second straight appearance at the state finals after she finished 22nd in the all-around at state last season.
Baldini said beam is “definitely” her best individual event of the four.
“I’m excited for beam,” she said. “I fell on beam last year [at state], so I’m hoping to not repeat that this year and do a little bit better.”
Baldini missed a spot in the all-around at this year’s state finals by just a tenth of a point at last weekend’s Harrison Regional, where she placed eighth. Logan coach Kathy Farrer said Baldini might’ve been even closer than that.
“She missed all-around sixth place by a tenth, but … the rumor is that the sixth-place person probably has an injury and is stepping out and somebody else is stepping in who just barely edged Madison for that spot,” Farrer said. “I wish that her beam score would have been a little bit higher. I wish it would have been a half a tenth higher, because if it was, she might be going to the state in all-around.”
Baldini’s second straight appearance also marks the sixth straight year that Logansport has had at least one gymnast reach the state finals.
The Berries — and Baldini — had an injury-marred season, so Farrer feels fortunate to have a gymnast at this year’s state meet.
“I have to keep telling myself and reminding myself that she did have an injury this season and had that not happened, I think that she definitely would have placed in the all-around,” Farrer said. “So when I get disappointed I need to remind myself that it did all work out for her. It could have been a lot worse and she could not be going at all.”
Baldini sprained her ankle two weeks before the IHSAA tournament season. She said she was at 75 to 80 percent when the tournament began two weeks ago.
“It’s feeling a lot better, so that’s good,” she said. “It’s still sore a lot, but it’s getting there.
“I’ll get through it.”
Baldini has a goal of being a college gymnast.
“I’d really love to go to Ball State to be a college gymnast. It’s been my dream since I was a little girl,” she said. “I would absolutely love to do that. And I definitely think it’s possible and could be in my future.”
“I think Madison could walk-on probably at Ball State and compete on beam,” Farrer added. “I think she could certainly walk-on and do beam for them and be an asset, and possibly floor. … And in college, you have a lot of specialists.”
Beam won’t be Baldini’s only performance of the day on Saturday.
“She’s been asked by Perry Meridian to come down and be the base scorer for floor,” Farrer said, “so she’s also going to be scored on floor although her score won’t count in the actual state meet. But still it’s nice to be invited to be a base scorer.”
Kline, Platt to compete at club state meet
Logansport freshman Morgan Kline and Lincoln sixth grader Kelley Platt are set to compete at the Level 8 club state meet Saturday at Lawrence Central High School.
Kline competed for Logan’s high school team this year. She had state finals dreams this season but a quad injury at last week’s Harrison Regional hampered her performance, and she didn’t even compete on her last event, vault, because of the injury.
“I’ve coached Morgan since she was 6 years old,” Farrer said, “and she’s probably one of the toughest kids I’ve coached, and she’s also probably one of the most injury-plagued gymnasts that I’ve coached. It’ll just happen on silly things, nothing that I feel like she’s doing wrong. It’s just happening, just some bad luck.”
Farrer explained how Kline can compete at the club state meet after competing in high school gymnastics.
“The IHSAA rule is you can compete in two club meets during your high school season as long as you’ve filled out a waiver form, which we have. She’s competed in one club meet during the high school season; she was supposed to compete in two but then she got injured. But it’s perfectly legal to do, and her high school season is over, so no waiver form is to be filled out for this meet.
“She had to have a qualifying score and she’s already hit that score in the season earlier before. Club season starts quite a bit earlier that the high school season, so she’s already received her qualifying score into that state meet. And hopefully she’ll score out of her state meet into regionals. For us it’s a five-state regional meet. There’s good competition at regionals, so I’d like to see her be able to advance out of state into regionals.”
Farrer is hoping for a good showing from both Kline and Platt.
“I have high hopes for both Morgan and Kelley,” she said. “Morgan’s got an injury right now so I don’t care where she places so much as I want her to hit her 34.5 so she can qualify for regionals. I do have high hopes for Kelley Platt. I would like to see her win the state meet. She’s certainly got the potential to do it. She’s got a sore heel, but I still think that she could possibly win the state meet in her age group and certainly not have any trouble at all qualifying herself into regionals. She’s been scoring in the 36s in all-around, so she shouldn’t have any trouble.”
Farrer added that advancing to Level 9 could be in the near future for both gymnasts. There are levels 4 to 10 in USA Gymnastics before the Elite level, the level that Olympic gymnasts perform.
“Morgan’s had [rotator cuff] surgery [in June] and this injury, it’s hard to say she’s close to Level 9. She certainly has a lot of Level 9 skills, and I would love to see her try to do Level 9 next season,” Farrer said. “Kelley Platt is definitely doing Level 9. She needs to move up. She’s scoring well and Level 8 is probably not enough of a challenge for her anymore.”
