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05/08/2012 12:00 AMEveryone else at the Eastern Nationals Junior Olympics might tighten up and press when it comes time to compete on the biggest of stages, but not Austin Anderson. Like the grace and style Austin uses to wow judges on the beam, she also sports a level of confidence and experience that allows her to keep her cool under pressure on the national spotlight.
Austin, a junior at Guilford, was in Maryland last week to compete in the Gymnastics Eastern Nationals Junior Olympics. A Level 9 USA gymnast who competes for Campbell's Gymnastics in Clinton, Austin made her second appearance on the national stage, declaring that staying loose and enjoying the moment is the key for any gymnast when pitted against the country's best.
"I think I just learned it is mostly about having fun," Austin says. "It is the last meet of the season, and no matter what happens, you're around the best of the best. It is all about having the tricks and showing the judges what you can."
Austin has been impressing judges since she took up the sport at age three. This year, her successful regular season qualified her for the Connecticut state meet held in April. Austin medaled in four of the five events and her all-around score earned her a berth on the team which represented Connecticut at the Level 9 Region Competition in Andover, Massachusetts.
At Regionals, Austin's success continued with a medal on bars as she placed sixth in the all-around with a score of 34.35. By virtue of that score, Austin qualified for Nationals for the second year in a row. Last time she was in Nationals, she finished in fifth place on the beam.
"Her biggest strength is on the balance beam; that's the one she works the hardest on and she has very good artistry," says Austin's coach Earl Campbell. "She loves to dance and it shows in her routines. She is extremely clean in what she does, and because she is so clean at what she does, she always scores very well."
This time around, Austin has upped the bar, upgrading many of her tricks and routines to include a backhand spring back tuck series. According to Austin, she has put in the work in both the offseason and the regular campaign to build the confidence in her new skills.
Still, showing off new skills and new tricks on the grandest of stages can be a bit nerve-wracking, and while she says her expectations are to just have fun and do the best she can, Austin admits there is a lot of pressure to pull them off when it comes time to be scored.
"There is definitely added pressure; the surroundings are more arena-like than just a stage," says Austin. "There are more judges and coaches are stressed out, but I really deal with that by having fun. It is the last meet of the season so that's really how I get by."
Posting a solid score and possibly placing again like she did a year ago on beam would go a long way towards alleviating that pressure.
"I'm just hoping to have a good meet, maybe place," she says. "The next step is basically adding more tricks to my routine. For that to happen, I have to get them clean and that is what the summer is devoted to: working on high level tricks."
Though the national meet was her final of the season, Austin hardly gets a break. She'll continue her practice regimen throughout the summer, only getting a week off at the end of the school year and another off at the start of the next school year. But next year, if she makes it back to Nationals, it will not only be the last event of her season, but in all likelihood, her career. Austin plans on choosing her college based on academics, not whether or not the school has a gymnastics program. Once a gymnast leaves the club team for college, it can no longer return to club competition so Austin clearly knows her time on the mat is quickly coming to a close.
"Right now, I'm not really thinking about it, although one of my teammates is a graduating senior and I've seen how she reacts to this being her last meet of her entire life," Austin says. "It is definitely sad when you have been doing gymnastics for such a long time, but it is also kind of relaxing and enjoyable in a way. One chapter is closing, but another is opening."