Nothing in baseball can match an ace pitcher, not even the weight of history.
Perfection.
It’s something that is sought after and rarely ever achieved, especially by high school gymnasts.
But for Angola sophomore Alex Nickel, a perfect score was obtained last week in a meet against Sturgis, Mich., when she scored a 10 in the floor exercise.
“Perfect 10s are rare. I do know there were a couple 10s scored two or three years ago, but I don’t recall any prior to that in our area,” Angola coach Carrie Heator said. “I frequently tell Alex she is capable of scoring a 10 in high school. I told her often as a freshman, but I’m not sure she truly believed it could happen to her. She is actually capable of scoring a 10 on beam as well, as that has always been her strongest event. Now that she has scored a 10 and believes it is possible, hopefully it will inspire her to work hard toward accomplishing that again and others as well. This is a memory she will never forget.”
Nickel is now quite aware of her capabilities.
“My teammates and coach all ran up to me and hugged me, and the crowd went crazy,” Nickel said. “It was really exciting, and I was so proud. I never dreamed that I would get a perfect 10, and it felt unreal. Getting a 10 wasn’t one of my goals before because it seemed so far out of reach, but now that I know it’s possible I’ll definitely be striving to get 10s on the other three events. I feel more confident now then ever.
“I was waiting for the score, and I noticed that a few people in the crowd who sit behind the scorekeeper started smiling and looking at me. Then I was anticipating the score so bad, and it came up, and I could hardly believe it.”
Nickel won the all-around title with a 37.9, and the Hornets won the meet 103.75-101.05. She was motivated by a mistake earlier in the meet.
“(Falling on beam) fired me up, and I decided I was going to hit my floor routine,” she said. “I was feeling pretty confident during the routine, especially after I nailed my first tumbling pass, which is the most difficult one in the routine. The rest of the routine seemed really smooth, and after I finished, my coach said to me, ‘You didn’t give them anything (no deductions to the judges).’ ”
Nickel had been close before with a 9.8 on floor and a 9.7 on beam this season.
“I remind her that competition is often against yourself, not others, and that you cannot compare one meet to the next,” Heator said. “The next competition is a new competition and there is always more work to do.”
And other 10s to get.
