After not competing in club gymnastics for the first time last summer, Erik Van Leer wasn’t in peak form for the first half of the high school season.
Now he’s back and ready for one last hurrah.
The Evanston senior swept to victories in all but one event, including the all-around title, and led the Wildkits to a second straight team championship Tuesday night at the Niles Co-op Sectional meet sponsored by the Illinois High School Gymnastics Coaches Association.
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Evanston ruled the eight-team field with a winning point total of 144.75 to 140.10 for Niles and is assured of a trip to the state finals set for May 17 at Hoffman Estates High School. The top 10 scoring teams at the three sectionals will send full squads to battle for the team title, but the Wildkits will have to wait at least 24 hours to find out how many individual qualifiers will represent ETHS at State.
The Coaches Association took over running the State meet last year and changed the rules so that the top 50 scorers in each event at the sectionals will advance. Previously, a top five finish automatically kept your season alive.
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In the team competition, only three squads --- Glenbard West at 164.05, Wheaton Co-op at 161.60 and Geneva at 151.15 --- piled up more points than ETHS at Monday’s Glenbard West Sectional competition. And at the Lake Park Sectional that is scheduled for Wednesday night, only the Downers Grove Co-op has surpassed the 140-point mark this spring.
Van Leer, the defending state champion in the vault, led Evanston to a second place State finish as a team a year ago and seems primed for a big finish if his dominant performance at the sectional is any indication of the way the blonde senior standout is trending.
He captured the all-around crown with a score of 53.30 that was more than seven points higher than the next best finisher, T.J. Carr of Lyons Township at 45.95. That total included wins for Van Leer on horizontal bar (8.75), floor exercise (9.45), parallel bars (8.75), vault (9.45), and still rings (9.00). He also placed fifth on pommel horse at 7.90.
Backing him up with solid performances of their own were teammates Jacob Potter and Nathan Schlack, who finished third and sixth respectively all-around and should advance to State along with Van Leer.
“It’s great to repeat like this, and with a different team,” said ETHS head coach Frank Erwin, who noted that Van Leer and Potter were the only two returning regulars from last year’s squad. “All in all, it’s really been a pleasantly surprising year for us. I’ve been blessed coaching some really good kids here. We did much better this year than anyone expected --- including us.
“They did a good job tonight. It was a good performance. We were a little shaky in a couple of places, but we finished strong on high (horizontal) bar and that really helped. I still think we can do a little better, and I’d be thrilled if we can finish in the top six at State.
“I think tonight sets Erik up well for State. He can still clean a few things up, but he’s in a good position now.”
Van Leer has been a game-changer since the moment he stepped into Evanston’s practice gym as a freshman. Now that the end is in sight --- he won’t try to compete in college as fewer than 20 Division I universities field men’s gymnastics teams now --- he’s more relaxed and not as outcome-oriented as in the past.
In fact, he’s switched gears to another sport and has already won a state championship in competitive weight-lifting at a meet last weekend in Aurora.
Admittedly burned out on gymnastics, he quit his club team and lifted five or six times a week after the high school season ended last spring.
“I didn’t work on gymnastics at all,” Van Leer said. “I put on 10 or 12 pounds and I’ve had to adjust to my new body for gymnastics. I just needed a break from gymnastics, and it’s definitely been helpful for me to have something else to focus on.
“At State, I’ll just do what I can and the rest will take care of itself. Since I didn’t do much in the off-season I probably won’t finish as high up as I might have, but I’m just going to focus on trying to hit all six of my routines and not on my placement.”
Van Leer’s interest in lifting began in the ETHS weight room, where strength coach Mark Feldner guides all of the school’s athletes in sport-specific PE programs.
“Weight lifting isn’t super prevalent in the gymnastics culture. It’s uncommon for guys even at the elite level,” Van Leer said. “But I found that I really liked it. I did put some muscle on my legs and I’ve found that it’s helped me be more explosive with my landings on both floor and vault, too.”
He plans to pursue that sport further after winning a state championship at a meet sponsored by the USA Weight Lifting Association. His state title doesn’t come with an asterisk, although he’ll admit somewhat sheepishly that there were only two others in his age and weight category at the competition.
“It’s a numbers sport, just like gymnastics, but there’s no judging. It’s objective, and you either put that 100 kilos over your head, or you don’t,” noted the ETHS senior. “That’s one thing I like about it.”
At the sectional, medals were handed out to the top five placers in each event. Evanston’s medal haul included Potter and Schlack, who tied for fourth on vault at 8.65; and Potter, fourth on pommel horse at 7.95.
