By Nance Ebert, Contributing Writer
Marlborough – For as long as Marlborough resident Jacqueline McKinnon can remember, she has always wanted to go to the Olympics. She started gymnastics at age 3 and has recently been ranked number one in the state for her age group and will be going to the Xcel Regional Championship in late May. Other gymnasts from New England and New York will also be competing.
While only in eighth grade, Jacqueline is very disciplined. She trains for several hours each week under the tutelage of several coaches at Elite Gymnastics in Ashland. Ivan Ivanoff, one of the owners, participated in the Olympics in the 1980s. The other coaches that Jacqueline works with include Heather Cronin, Breanna Vacca and Ashley Paulsen. Her coaches help to support each event she may be participating in and help spot her and assist with further training.
“I switched from the Junior Olympic Team to Xcel at the platinum level,” Jacqueline said. “There was a greater time commitment with team and I realized that I wanted to also do other things. I still spend a lot of time training in Ashland. I spend two to three days each week there and three hours each day.”
Jacqueline said she particularly enjoys competing in floor and bars. She loves the feeling of swinging and flying all over the place and even enjoys the chalk on her hands. On floor she enjoys the tumbling, dancing and flips.
When she was on team, each Wednesday was spent with a professional who would work on dance techniques and choreography.
“One of the things I still find most challenging about gymnastics is the balance beam. I am always nervous when I’m doing a back-handspring that my hands will just make it. I also worry about falling off and making sure that everything is tight,” she said.
Right now, Jacqueline is concentrating on perfecting her routines for regionals the weekend of May 21 and 22 at Shrewsbury High School. She will have a big fan base cheering her on and helping to calm her nerves. Another fellow gymnast representing Elite Gymnastics will be Caroline Estella from Hopkinton.
“I am super-excited to go to this Regional Competition just knowing that I made it this far,” Jacqueline said. “This is my first time at regionals so I’m just going to take in the experience. With many of my friends there, it will help to make me feel like it’s more of a practice so I’ll be less nervous.”
When asked how she manages to spend so much time training, going to school and participating in school sports as well, Jacqueline admitted that she’s not sure how she juggles it all. Math is her favorite subject and getting good grades is important to her. She plays on three different softball teams as well as field hockey. She is looking forward to the summer when she can hang out with her grandparents at their pool with her friends and family, baking and watching television.
Because gymnastics is a year-round sport, practices will also continue once the school year ends. Strength and conditioning are also important components.
Her parents are behind her 100 percent.
“We are so proud of her,” her mother Maureen said. “We realize this is a huge commitment and we get very involved in her competing and practice schedule. We really enjoy it. The discipline with the sport carries over to other things like academics and time management.”
“This sport is so regimented and Jacqueline has to be so focused. I think the skills she learns with this sport helps with other facets of her life,” added her father Keith. “It’s been a wonderful journey from when she started to where she is now.”