Fresh off best all-around score of high school career, CHS junior gymnast Sammie Boster refining all four events with eye toward postseason

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Every gymnast is a work in progress, an athlete in pursuit of unattainable perfection, forever aware of all the areas that need work.
After attaining the best all-around score of her life, 38.275, last Thursday in a dual meet with Merrillville at Bailly Elementary, Chesterton junior Sammie Boster was at once pleased, even excited, about her performance, yet committed to tidying up her routines.
“I’ve been more consistent in the gym with everything and working on the little details and it’s really showing in my meets, so I’m really excited,” Boster said.
Then she rattled off areas that need work.
“When I was sick my vault got a little rough just because it was hard to do, so I want to work on doing that more consistently,” Boster said. “I did really well today. I just need to keep doing that and it’ll get better.”
She worked hard in the offseason to shore up what had been her weakest event, the uneven parallel bars and it shows. Now she doesn’t have a weak event.
“Bars, it’s just the small things, like my knees and making my giants a little faster and work on my landing,” Boster said.
Gymnastics terminology alert: giants?
Grok, the font of all AI knowledge defines a gymnastics giant as, “a full 360-degree rotation around the bar while the gymnast’s body remains fully extended (straight, with no bending at the hips or knees”).
Her diligence in the weight room shows in every event, including in her explosive floor routine.
“Floor is just about controlling everything but still having power,” she said. “My floor today was pretty good. I controlled the landings pretty well, so I was excited.”
Boster is the defending state champion on the balance beam.
“Not too worried about the beam, but I just have to make sure I keep being consistent on it, cleaning up the little details to it,” she said.
Boster’s goals include defending her beam state title and becoming Chesterton’s first all-around champion since Sophia Hunzelman, who won it for the second year in a row in 2018 as a sophomore.
“It was a really good meet today,” Boster said. “I’ve been doing really well at practices and getting more consistent. I just have to keep doing that and hopefully I’ll be good during the postseason.”
Boster won the beam with a 9.700, the floor (9.575), the vault (9.550) and the bars (9.450).
On a night Chesterton had its highest score of the season, Merrillville won, 104.750-102.350.
Chesterton freshman Leah Douglass fourth on the bars (7.650) and sixth in the vault (8.250) and placed fifth in the all-around (32.375). Sophomore Lexi Milton placed sixth in the bars competition with a 7.450 and sixth in the all-around standings with a 30.875.
Sophomore Adriana Perez delivered another strong, spirited floor routine to place fourth with an 8.775.
The Trojans return to Bailly Elementary Wednesday night for a dual with Portage at 6 p.m.