Gymnast Fennell unable to make trip to Nationals
BUTLER TWP — A gymnast since the age of 3, Kara Fennell continues to excel at all phases of the sport — when her body allows it.
The Knoch freshman reached Level 9 last year, but was unable to do much with it. A hip injury, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic cutting down the schedule, limited her to one meet.
Kara returned to the gym healthy this year and qualified for Level 9 Nationals this week in Rochester, N.Y., after almost winning the regional championship while competing on a sore left ankle.
“She would have won the regional. Kara gutted out that whole meet, showed a lot of grit, performed through the pain,” Michelle Heasley, one of her coaches, said. “She had the overall lead going into the final event, the vault.
“She dismounted awkwardly to avoid landing on that ankle ... If Kara was healthy, she wins that title easily.”
Kara reported to practice at the Butler Gymnastics Club each day leading up to her scheduled Wednesday departure for Rochester. But it became evident she could not compete.
“We waited until the last minute to pull out, but we had to inform the alternate to give her adequate notice,” Heasley said. “I feel awful for Kara. She’s having an MRI done on that ankle. It might need surgery. We’ll see.”
Kara would have been the first gymnast from the facility in three years to compete at Nationals. The Butler Gymnastics Club has sent approximately eight gymnasts to Nationals over the past 10 years.
Kara scored a 9.4 on bars and 9.35 on beam at regionals, placing third in both events. She was fifth on floor exercise with a 9.35. Even with her struggles in vault, her all-around score of 36 was good enough for fifth overall.
“It’s frustrating,” Kara said of the injury. “I really wanted to go. I was looking forward to this all year.”
When asked if these circumstances will make her still hungrier when she returns — and attempts to move up to Level 10 — Kara simply replied: “Yes. Definitely.”
Jim Sinchak, a longtime coach at Butler Gymnastics, described Kara as “a superb athlete.”
Perhaps a more important trait than that could be her demeanor on the mat.
“I call her my little cucumber because nothing ever fazes her,” Sinchak said. “Kara really is cool as a cucumber. She never gets rattled during competition. And she is a very driven, motivated kid who loves to compete.”
Lori Maielli, who’s coached Kara for 12 years, described her as an intense gymnast.
“Kara knows what she wants and goes after it,” Maielli said. “It’s like, ‘Don’t get in my way.’ She just gets it done.”
Maielli estimates Kara’s recovery time for her ankle to be six to eight weeks.
“She’ll be back with a vengeance,” the coach said.
She’s not even leaving, actually. Kara still comes to the gym four days a week and will continue to work out on the bars and keep up with her conditioning.
The bars are one of her favorite events.
“My best events are the floor and bars. They’re my favorite events, too,” Kara said.
“She’s not long on words, but she’s long on talent. Kara is hoping to compete in collegiate gymnastics down the road.
“That girl is the total package,” Sinchak said. “Ability, desire, demeanor ... She’s got it all.”
