Sports
Gimme 5: Still Rings Champ '11, Ryan Reif
Lincoln-Way Central senior Ryan Reif ended his high school gymnastics career on top of the medal podium. He won the still rings title in the IHSA state meet.
You won't find a trophy case in Ryan Reif's possession filled with gymnastics accomplishments and memories from when he was a young child.
While there are many high school gymnasts whose careers date all the way back to "Mommy and Me" classes when they were 18 months old, Reif's introduction to the sport came closer to his 18th birthday than to his infancy.
On Saturday, Reif was on the awards stand after winning the IHSA state championship on still rings with a score of 9.55.
“He qualified for state in his first year of gymnastics, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a kid be able to do that on rings,” Lincoln-Way coach Skip Adamson said. “Junior year he made it to state finals (sixth place, 9.15), and I think he was shocked by the experience because he doesn’t like the spotlight. He’s a state champ. I can’t say enough about it, and by a decent margin. Unbelievable.”
