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02/07/2018 11:00 PMIt takes persistence to become proficient in any skill, and competitive gymnasts need to have an array of skills in order to turn in a solid score. Valley Regional senior Emily Brucker has put in tons of time to hone her talents as a gymnast, while sticking with the sport when things got tough. Emily is the senior captain for the Warriors this season, and she also competes on a year-round basis with USA Gymnastics (USAG).
Out of the four events in gymnastics, Emily’s strongest are the floor and the vault. Emily says those events require the most strength, and she’s built up plenty of strength throughout her years of competing. Emily enjoys using her power to propel herself in the air and wow the crowd at competitions.
“I’ve always loved the vault and the explosiveness of it. You really use your power to compete...I guess it’s easier for me for some reason,” says Emily, an Essex resident. “On the floor, it takes a lot of power...and it’s a real rush of adrenaline to fly that high and try to stick your landing in front of a big crowd of people.”
There’s a lot of pressure to perform in front of an audience, but when Emily’s heart starts pumping faster, she just focuses on her routine. It’s as though time slows down while she’s out there.
“It’s a lot of adrenaline having the crowds watch you. Floor is only a minute and a half, but it’s the longest minute and a half when you’re out there and in the zone for that long,” Emily says. “I basically reflect on my routines. I do a lot of visualizing. It’s really helpful to just find your peace.”
Emily knows that it’s important to stay focused, because one wrong move in the air can take away precious points. It’s easy to overshoot the boundaries on the floor, and so Emily always has to know precisely where she is.
“When you’re doing a skill, you can get lost in the air really easily. You have to spot and know where you are,” says Emily, who also competes in the high jump and long jump for Valley’s girls’ outdoor track team. “Going into a front tumbling pass, you have to look where you’re going first and set really high, so you know where you’re going in the air, so you can stick it.”
Emily’s home gym is Flip-Flop Gymnastics in Deep River. She started her gymnastics career there when she was just four years old. It’s where Emily competes with Valley Regional, as well as with her Xcel Platinum team for USAG. Emily notes that there’s a difference between high-school and USAG meets, and she likes the change of pace from one to the other.
“USAG is a lot more strict, and the meets are a lot longer compared to Valley...so high school meets are a lot more laid back,” says Emily. “I personally like USAG meets more just because I have been doing them for longer, but I have gotten used to them. It’s nice to have more laid-back meets, though, too.”
Valley gymnastics Head Coach Carl Cavrell has seen Emily’s dedication to the sport and admires her tenacity. He also relies on her to help the younger athletes on the team and lead them by example. Cavrell believes that Emily’s experience in gymnastics is invaluable to the rest of the squad.
“She’s been at this a long time. She’s got good skills for her level, and she’s been hanging in there a long time,” says Cavrell. “She’s a wonderful captain. She’s not bossy with the other kids, and she’s really supportive. She’s a quiet kid that leads by example. She’s the only senior on the team with three freshman, and she’s great with them.”
Emily takes her responsibility as captain seriously and enjoys supporting her teammates, whether it’s helping them with a routine or just being there to talk to. Emily makes sure that she gets to know her teammates, while also setting an example for them by giving her best effort during her routines.
“It means to get to know everybody as well as I can and help them individually based on their needs. It’s nice to get to know them, because I haven’t practiced with them before. It’s good to meet new people and make new friends,” Emily says. “I try to be as friendly and as helpful as possible, as well as mentor them and show them the guidelines of the sport and how to compete on a high-school team. I also try to demonstrate the best of myself when I’m competing and show good sportsmanship all the time.”
Emily feels proud that she’s stuck with gymnastics throughout high school, although it’s a bittersweet feeling for her as her career at Valley draws to a close. While she doesn’t plan to continue her career in college, Emily knows that it’s going to be hard to walk away from a sport that’s shaped her into the person she is today.
“If you asked me last year, I would have wanted to do it in college really badly, but it’s really hard on your body,” says Emily. “I probably won’t do it, but maybe. It’s really hard because I’ve been doing it so long, but thinking about stopping this summer, it’s hard to think about. It’s such a big part of my life.”