Fadness will defend All-Around title as Packers are sending four to state individual meet
Published 7:47 pm Monday, February 17, 2014
Last year was Austin senior Sela Fadness’s year. She won the Class ‘A’ state all-around individual championship for the first time in Austin High School history and she also grabbed state titles in the floor exercise and bars.
Austin’s Sela Fadness was all smiles after completing her routine on the balance beam during the Class A Minnesota State Gymnastics Meet at the University of Minnesota’s Sports Pavilion last year. Fadness went on to win the Class A all-around title. — Herald file photo
If you think that takes all of the pressure off of Fadness, you probably don’t know her very well. Fadness is as nervous as ever as she prepares defend her title on Saturday after she competes at the team state meet Friday.
“The state tournament is never something that I don’t get nervous for. It’s very nerve racking because I want to go out on a strong note with the team. Part of me just wants to just soak it all up and see what happens. I accomplished all of my individual dreams last year, so I just want to go out there and have fun,” Fadness said. “If I were to have gotten second last year, I don’t think I could deal with it this year, because of the stress I’d put on myself. I’m very lucky that things went the way they did last year.”
One thing that is taking the pressure off of Fadness is that she knows this weekend will not be her last gymnastics meet of her life. Fadness will compete with the Hamline University gymnastics team next season. She picked Hamline, because they were the only Minnesota college that offers gymnastics and her chosen major — Pre Med.
“I picked Hamline for academic reasons,” Fadness said. “I want to deliver babies and I’ve wanted to be a doctor since I was in fifth grade. Going to state would’ve been a lot harder for me this year if it was my last meet.”
Besides Fadness, Austin’s Abby Bickler and Maddie Mullenbach will compete in the all-around competition at state and Carolyn Hackel will compete in bars and floor.
Mullenbach, a freshman, took fourth in the all-around last season, and Bickler was ninth in all-around last season.
Austin head coach Mark Raymond said the Packers have no plans of digressing after Fadness graduates. He expects the team to stay competitive next season.
“I wouldn’t trade Sela for anybody right now,” Raymond said. “Going into next year, we’ve got kids that can fill that spot. Our number two, three, four and five gymnasts will get stronger and I don’t think our team score will change too much.”
