Triway gymnast Gabby Mullen competes at state meet

For Triway junior Gabby Mullen, the question was how perfect she could be for about 45 seconds at the state gymnastics meet March 8 at Hilliard Bradley High School. Could she relax, let years and months of training show through and have fun?

There were things that added strain as she had to wait at the school from 9 a.m. until 3-3:30 p.m. to compete. For any athlete that’s a long time to be sitting and waiting, and it was an element that was learned through experience.

Still, it’s safe to say Mullen checked every box and some as she scored a 9.1 on the beam to finish in a tie for 13th. Performing on the biggest stage yet, as gymnastics only has one division, she put on another clinic on the beam, her signature event, with yet another top-shelf performance against the state’s best 36 gymnasts.

“As a mom it was crazy emotional to see her compete, to have this opportunity, the support she received, and of course, I think she did awesome,” her coach and mom Angie Mullen said. “It’s so different when you’re a mom and coach. There are way more emotions than when you are just a coach or just mom. As coaches we were just so proud of her.”

So much of her success could be attributed to simply doing what she wanted to do coming into the state meet: stay calm, stay relaxed and just let it all go. Entering this year, Gabby Mullen had a dream that had yet to be fulfilled. It became a reality March 8, and along with it came a new dream and a new passion.

“She moved the goal post on herself once she got to the state meet,” Angie Mullen said. “She originally just wanted to get to state. Once she made it, she had even bigger goals, and she was a little disappointed.”

A missed connection and a balance check proved to be costly, as it cost her about two to three tenths of a point in her routine. Still, it didn’t take the air out of her overall performance or the experience.

“We are so proud of her, and we think she did an excellent job representing Triway,” Angie Mullen said. “We reminded her of what her goal was and that we can achieve bigger goals next season.”

Getting a taste of success and being so close often makes champions even hungrier. It’s safe to say that is the state of Gabby Mullen. Even while juggling being a three-sport athlete, a member of multiple clubs including 4-H, working and training fewer hours in the gym than most of her competitors, she has her why and what for next season.

“She has huge goals for next year,” Angie Mullen said. “Getting there and being there just fueled the fire of bigger and better skills and performances. She is super-focused on next year already and finishing up her YMCA season big as well."