This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
05/05/2016 12:00 AMEssex native and Mercy High School sophomore Ella Gibson has had a tremendous year by advancing to the USA Gymnastics New England Regional after rebounding from serious injuries that threatened her career.
As a freshman last winter, Ella helped restart Mercy’s gymnastics program that had been dormant since the 1980s. However, Ella ran into some bad luck that season when she broke her left foot and then doctors found a bone cyst in her left heel just a week later. The doctors said that Ella couldn’t perform again if she didn’t have surgery on her heel because the bone would never grow back. In what might have been a wasted year, Ella instead spent it attending practice, cheering on her teammates, working on her stamina, and doing any type of training she could to stay in shape for the recent season.
“When they said I had to have surgery, I was upset, but knew it was the only way I could keep doing gymnastics, so I got it done a week later. I wanted to get the surgery as quickly as possible,” Ella says. “It ruined my season, but I still went to all the practices and came back stronger than I ever was and had a great season.”
To say Ella had a great season this winter is an understatement as she became the first athlete in the history of Flip-Flop Gymnastics to represent the program at the USA Gymnastics New England Regional meet. And Ella didn’t just show up—she placed fourth on the floor routine (9.275), was sixth on bars (8.750), finished seventh for the beam (9.025), and took 10th on vault (9.175). Ella’s extraordinary performance resulted in her medaling on floor and also earning a medal for her fifth-place all-around finish with a 36.225. These were pretty impressive feats for Ella, especially considering the two major injuries she had sustained.
“I’ve been coaching her for over 10 years and she is an exceptional girl,” says Monica Bauer, the owner of Flip-Flop in Deep River who’s also Ella’s coach at Mercy. “She is an amazing athlete who is always 100-percent polite. She’s very polished, presents herself well, and is nice to watch doing her routines. Ella is also very mature and a great kid with good values.”
In her return to the high school circuit with Mercy this year, Ella was one of 40 gymnasts who earned a spot on the All-State First Team, was an All-SCC selection, and also made the New Haven Register All-Area Team. Some of her highlights included placing third on the floor with a score of 8.9 at the SCC Championship, a meet at which she also tied for fifth on beam with a 9.0. Then at the State Open, Ella was tied for eighth on beam (8.85) and finished 17th for the floor exercise. Ella’s average all-around score per meet for her sophomore season was a 33.475.
“Ella is very dedicated, hardworking, and coachable,” Bauer adds. “She is very talented, especially in the floor and balance beam, and she really shines in her stronger events. She is a Level 7 gymnast, but next season, I see her becoming an 8 because she is always making corrections. I think that may be her best attribute—the fact that she is willing to work on everything and that keeps her advancing as a gymnast.”
Ella is also interested in chemistry and a member of the Spanish Honor Society at Mercy. She wants to go into the medical field in the future and hopes to continue her gymnastics career at the collegiate level.
“What I love about the sport is that it gives me so much motivation and that carries over to school, where I do better, too,” Ella says. “In the beginning, I was bad in gymnastics and nervous in the meets, but as I got older, I let go of that fear and was able to start performing.”
Ella was a co-captain for Mercy’s gymnastics team alongside her friend Katie Schumann in her sophomore season. Both athletes are excited about the growth of the Tigers’ program, which will be entering its third campaign next year.
“Katie and I want to recruit more girls to the team next year as we only had seven and lost one to injury. Our goals are to place better in states and grow as a team. I personally would like to get up to Level 8 and better the standard I set for myself this season,” Ella says. “This past season was awesome and I honestly wouldn’t be where I am without the support of my coaches, Monica Bauer, Amy Richmond, Diane Scott, and Carl Carvell. Coach Bauer and Richmond came to regionals to watch me perform and I am so thankful to have them as role models in my life.”