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02/22/2017 11:00 PMErin Naclerio has been involved in gymnastics for as long as she can remember, and she never stops challenging herself to integrate new skills into her routines. That approach has paid off quite well this year for Erin, who was recently crowned the top gymnast at SCC Championship.
Erin, a junior at Hand, started with gymnastics when she was only two. After joining the Tigers, Erin was part of consecutive SCC and Class M state champion teams during her first two seasons. The current campaign has been even better for Erin as she recently helped Hand win its ninth straight SCC title by taking first place on the vault with a score of 9.3, in addition to winning the all-around title by scoring a 36.15 at the conference meet. Erin also earned medals for the bars, beam, and floor events at SCCs.
“We were nervous going in because we knew there was a shot of us not winning if we didn’t have our A-game. I love the vault and I nailed it, so I was super proud and rolled with the momentum. I hit all my connections on bars and I added a skill for beam this year. But I had a rough warm-up, so I wasn’t confident, but my team cheered me on. For the floor, I added a new routine this year and it’s worked, plus it’s my favorite event to end on,” says Erin, who scored an 8.85 on bars, along with a 9.0 for both beam and floor, while placing third in all three events at the SCC Championship. “To win the all-around is insane. I’ve worked my butt off every day in practice. I had the idea of winning the all-around in the back of my mind, but I wanted to focus more on getting the team win. I tried to get the top scores to boost the team total, so getting the all-around was the cherry on top.”
Gymnastics has helped Erin mature just as much mentally as its has physically throughout her career at Hand. Erin has always avoided complacency by constantly coming up with new innovations for her craft.
“I try to be different each year. I added an aerial skill to the beam and I’m starting to get the hang of it. Knowing I have a skill that I didn’t have two months ago is awesome. I’m hoping to make my floor routine and its execution harder next year to up my scores,” says Erin, who’s also a pole vaulter for the Tigers’ girls’ outdoor track squad. “I’m improved physically and mentally as a person with gymnastics. I switched to a new gym at the end of my freshman year and it helped me gain more confidence with trying new skills. I met new people through gymnastics who helped me out a lot. Gymnastics really helped me grow as a person.”
Tigers’ Head Coach Kelly Smith and Erin go back a ways and have even developed a rapport through the classroom. Coach Smith has been a firsthand witness to Erin’s desire to succeed in both the athletic and academic arenas.
“I’ve been lucky enough to know Erin both in and out of the gym for years. I first met her as the bubbly energetic little sister of a Hand gymnast many years ago. It was clear from back then that she was tenacious and talented and we were excited for her to come up through the school system and join our high school team. I also had the privilege of being her English teacher for two years and knowing her in an academic sense. She is just as motivated and hardworking in the classroom as she is in gymnastics,” says Smith. “Since freshman year, Erin has been a solid all-around competitor. She’s our anchor on every event and usually our top scorer. If I had to choose one strength, I would have to say her ability to be focused and make adjustments to hit her beam routine. She’s one of the most consistent beam workers we’ve had.”
“She’s also known for her showmanship on floor. Everyone in the gym—whether it’s her team, the fans, the competition, and even the judges—everyone can’t help but smile while watching her dance and show off her floor routine,” Smith continues. “She’s currently throwing a vault with a 10.0 start value, which means it’s the hardest vault in high school gymnastics. She already tied the beam record this year [with a 9.55] and it wouldn’t be crazy to think she might take over that record outright before graduating. I really look forward to what successes are left for Erin. Winning the SCC all-around title is huge and cannot be overlooked, but she still has the rest of this season and all of senior year to continue her success. I can’t wait to see what she has left to give to our program.”
Erin is so enthusiastic about gymnastics that it often feels like a day at the park. However, when it comes to representing such a prestigious power like Hand, she knows that it’s serious business.
“Gymnastics is a lot of fun. It’s like a giant playground and I feel like a six-year-old inside,” she says. “For Hand, we are always refining our moves and perfecting things. We get the job done, which is why we are a successful team.”
The Tigers are now aiming at winning a fifth straight Class M crown. Erin knows it will be a tall order to take home another title while competing against so many talented squads, including two who the Tigers lost to during the regular season, but she and her teammates remain confident heading into the state meet.
“Class M will be one of the most competitive divisions in the state, so we want to hit all of our routines,” says Erin, who thanks her private gym coach Steve Redes, along with Coach Smith, Hand assistant coach Jessica Hoover, and her teammates. “We have a lot of confidence going in after SCCs, but we know Fairfield Ludlowe might be in it, along with Mercy, so we have to hit even more to come out victorious.”