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Pickett vaults to national title Tuesday, July 29, 2003
By MIKE GRENIER
One of Morgan Pickett's strengths as a high-level gymnast is that she doesn't get flustered. It doesn't seem to matter how big a meet it is; the 13-year-old from Swampscott has the ability to always retain her focus.
"She doesn't show her nervousness," said Paula Pickett, who watched her daughter earn All-America honors at the YMCA National Championships last year. "She tends to keep everything inside. She's very quiet about it."
That approach served her well at this year's YMCA Nationals, held at the Savannah (Ga.) Civic Center earlier this month. Pickett was oblivious to the coaches from various parts of the country who specifically wanted to see her performance in the vault. They were curious about how she would handle the tuck cuervo, which is such a difficult vault that no one else in the competition would even attempt it.
Pickett didn't just try it; she nailed it with a score of 9.375 to become the first-ever national champion from the Marblehead/Swampscott YMCA.
What made the feat even more remarkable is that Pickett, an honor student who will enter the eighth grade at Swampscott Middle School in the fall, was competing against many gymnasts in the Junior Championship Division who were two or three years older and who had the edge in experience.
"The national championship was a goal because she placed third (in the vault) last year," said Danielle Walker, who is one of Pickett's coaches at the Marblehead/Swampscott YMCA. "Morgan went in seeded fourth and there can be a lot of pressure with that, but I was probably more nervous than she was. She really competed with a lot of confidence.
"Morgan is an excellent competitor. I think the reason she has (composure) is that she started going to the bigger meets when she was young. Morgan went to the Y nationals three years ago; I think that helps."
Pickett was unaware of the buzz she created prior to the vault, when coaches from Washington and Georgia, among others, were telling their gymnasts to check out this young girl from Massachusetts.
Overall, the nationals drew about 1,200 competitors in the novice, developmental and championship divisions. Pickett is already a Level 9 gymnast and has the skills to take it to Level 10, which is the highest you can go.
"I was the only one trying that (tuck cuervo) vault, but I didn't know about the coaches and other kids (making it a point to watch it)," said Pickett, who is shy and soft-spoken. "I didn't know about until after the competition when my coach (Walker) told me. I think I would've been nervous if I knew."
"I was very surprised to win, but I kind of knew I could do it. I wanted to do better than last year, at least finish in the top three. Going (to the nationals) last year was an advantage because of the experience I got."
What did she like better: earning All-American status last year or winning the nationals in the vault this year? "Winning the nationals," Pickett replied.
However, this year's competition wasn't a complete success for Pickett, who had prepared herself to make a strong bid on beam. She fell off the apparatus, and the half-point deduction left her with a score of 8.7. Otherwise, she might've won that event, too.
"It was very disappointing," said Pickett, who finished 24th in the all-around, "because I could've gotten a 9.2 on beam. It was my leap; I just slipped off the beam. I didn't make it to the finals and I was mad about that because I know I could've done better."
The perfectionist streak she possesses, and her love for the sport, keep pushing Pickett to the gym five days a week on a year-round basis. This season has been particularly rewarding for Pickett, who tuned up for the nationals by winning the Tri-State (Mass., New Hampshire and Rhode Island) title in Manchester, N.H. and the regionals in Waterville, Maine.
Following her championship vault at the nationals, Pickett took a breather for a few days before heading out to the International Gymnastics Association Camp in Stroudsburg, Penn., where former U.S. Olympians Shannon Miller and Dominique Moceneau were scheduled to appear.
With highlights like that, Pickett, who's been a gymnast for seven years, never lacks for something interesting in her life.
"I just want to keep learning more stuff," said Pickett, who also watches college gymnastics on ESPN and dreams of attending UCLA. "Both of my coaches (referring to Laura LeBlanc and Walker) are great."
Walker portrays Pickett as a student of the sport, one who doesn't want to stop learning.
"Morgan loves to be challenged with the more difficult skills," said Walker. "She doesn't get bored. A lot of kids are afraid, but the degree of difficulty never seems to stop her. The bigger the challenge, the more she seems to like it.
"What makes her different is that she's such a smart gymnast. Give her a correction, and she'll make it and just keep improving. She has great focus."
How about the long-term possibility of the Olympic Games?
"Gymnasts who want to go to the Olympics put in a lot of time every day," noted Walker. "I think Morgan's goal is to compete in college and try to attain a scholarship. But she has a balanced life. She's a cheerleader for Swampscott Pop Warner football and is a well-rounded student. She's a very good kid."
Pickett was part of an 11th place team finish by the Marblehead/Swampscott YMCA at the nationals. Kori Grzela, 15, of Swampscott, finished 19th in the all-around while Juliet Munroe, 13, of Marblehead, had a personal best of 35.05 in the all-around to qualify for the top 40. Peabody's Amanda Lavoie, 15, who competed at Level 9 for the first time, also did a good job, said Walker.
"All our kids competed in the Junior Championship Division, and they did an excellent job," said Walker. "But it's always been a dream of mine to have one of our gymnasts win a national title -- and Morgan made it happen."
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