EVANSTON — Seconds after she stuck her dismount on the balance beam, Sam Stoddart flashed a big smile.
It was easy to tell she was having fun at Evanston’s girls gymnastics invitational on Saturday.
This time last month, it was a different story for the New Trier gymnast. She said she was stressed out and felt burdened by the pressure of being a senior.
“I had to get out of my own head,” she said.
Conversations with her coach, Jennifer Pistorius, and mother, Lee Anne Stoddart, helped steer her in the right direction.
“She did not have a great first two meets,” Pistorius said. “Her mom told her to relax and have fun. That’s when it clicked. She’s having fun now.”
Sam Stoddart won three events and the all-around at Evanston to lead the Trevians to the team title with 137.900 points. Stoddart was first on the parallel bars (9.350), beam (9.400) and floor exercise (9.450). She posted an all-around total of 37.250 and beat the second-place finisher, Loyola junior Claire Sullivan, by 1.375 points.
“I am happy with how things turned out [Saturday],” she said.
A four-year varsity veteran, Sam Stoddart put a lot of pressure on herself at the start of the season.
“Of course, I wanted to deliver for my team,” she said. “I am supposed to be this great athlete, and I wanted to get 9s on every event. I got worked up over it.”
That’s when her mother noticed something was wrong. Before this season, Sam Stoddart admitted she never sought out her parents’ advice on her athletic endeavors.
“I always motivated myself,” Sam Stoddart said. “But my mom knew I was struggling, so I let my guard down. She really struck a nerve with me by telling me I wasn’t having any fun. At first, I got mad. But then I realized I wasn’t having any fun.
“My mom helped me so much.”
Sam Stoddart also said the support of her coaches and teammates eased her self-imposed pressure.
“I had to have the mind-set that my team is behind me,” she said. “I had to understand they weren’t going to be mad at me if I fall. Sometimes, you fall.”
Sam Stoddart said Saturday she’s thankful for the early-season intervention.
“I knew something had to change,” she said.
Meet notes
Glenbrook South went one-two on the vault and took second in two other events to finish second as a team with 136.975 points. Sophomore Katie Wahl won the vault with a 9.375, and senior Kaci Castino followed at 9.350. Senior Hannah Hartley was second on the uneven bars (8.950), and freshman Bebe Haramaras was second on the beam (9.100). Haramaras ended up third in the all-around (35.825). … Sophomore Alysa Chiovatero starred for Maine South, which took third place with 134.050 points. She was fourth in the all-around (35.575), fourth on the vault (8.750) and fourth on the beam (8.950). … Meet host Evanston finished fourth as a team with 123.900 points. At the conclusion of the invitational, it was announced that Chester Jones, the team’s longtime coach, will retire at the end of the school year. The meet will change its name from the Brinkworth/Munch Invitational to the Chester Jones Invitational next season.