On December 7, the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Men’s Gymnastics team competed in a meet against Padua, North Royalton, and Avon Lake at 6 p.m. in the BBHHS gymnasium.
The competition was a success. The BBHHS men’s gymnastics team won the meet.
The team’s history is complex for the amount of time that they have been an official high school team.
Ryan Sobecks, a sophomore at the high school states, “The men’s gymnastics team started 6 years ago on November 2, with my brother, Josh’s graduating class of 2017.” While the team hasn’t been a part of the school for very long, they still have the largest men’s gymnastics team in the state of Ohio.
Nick Milanich, a sophomore, states that the BBHHS team was the only full team at the meet on December 7.
Jimmy Schneider, a junior, states, “The team formed because we have been doing club for years, but we do not get a gym credit for the 20 hours a week we put into our sport. My mom decided to fight to get a men’s high school team and make us able to get a gym credit!”
The high school team only competes 3 out of the 6 events they normally would for their club team. Sobecks states that the team only does “floor, vault, and pommel horse, however, we pour our heart and soul into those 3 events.”
As a surprise this year, they finally added high bar into the rotation. So now, the events they don’t exhibit at school are parallel bars and rings. It is probably due to the complexity of getting that kind of proper equipment installed.
The high school events help the team prepare for their club season and they get to share some of their skills for their peers to see. Aside from high school meets, all of the club meets are held in cities around the state of Ohio or nearby states.
Garrett Alexander, a junior, states, “High school meets are pretty laid back and not stressful compared to club meets, but they help us prepare and work on some of the skills for competitive gymnastics. There are club meets that are big qualifiers to nationals, US Championships, and this year I have the chance to make a team that will go to the Czech Republic.”
The men’s gymnastics team doesn’t get as much recognition as they deserve. The team practices all year for the high school team and their club teams and has faced some challenges over the past few years.
Maria Schneider, a coach for the team, states, “Men’s gymnastics takes incredible strength and flexibility. These young men defy gravity and demonstrate such strength and talent in this sport. They deserve to be recognized for their unique talents.”
Jimmy Schneider states,“[It] takes months or even years to prepare for a meet. The training program is all year round. In the summer, we focus on learning new skills to compete. During fall, we start to put routines together and start to train our routines that we will compete at meets. It takes hundreds, sometimes thousands of attempts to fully grasp a skill and perfect it for a meet. In the winter, we start competitions and the spring starts the postseason, where the goal is to make it to nationals.”
The team works very hard to be the best that they can be, which can lead to some challenges that the team has to face together.
Jimmy Schneider states that the team has faced many challenges, which include a “number of other men’s gymnastics teams, the transporting of certain events from the club gym to the high school, and the challenges of injuries.”
But, these challenges can also make the team stronger, both inside and outside of the sport.
All the team members mentioned how important it is to have a positive mindset, in order to be the best at the sport. Developing a positive mindset, not only enhances performance, but also fosters resilience, crucial in navigating the challenges of men’s gymnastics and the team’s everyday lives.
Milanich states, “Gymnastics has positively impacted me by making me stronger and more resilient when compared to other people. It also helps me prepare, improve, and make me better for when football starts.”
Sobecks states, “A decent number of people came to watch this meet, including family, friends, and alumni.”
The team always needs more fans to come and support them during the meets. The meets are not only entertaining, but they also showcase the dedication and hard work that the athletes put into their routines.
Maria Schneider, states, “This is a sport that does not get the attention it deserves. People should come to experience something new and support the talent of these athletes. Two years ago the 2023 team won the regional competition against 5 states!”
While the team has had their fair share of challenges to overcome, they continue to persevere, and remain the strongest men’s gymnastics team in the state of Ohio.
