Adair Westerman is an outstanding freshman on the Lake Forest Varsity Gymnastics team and a level 8 gymnast at Vernon Hills Gymnastics. Adair is no stranger to the hard work, physical, and mental accountability being a gymnast takes. She has been doing it since she was only three years old. While maintaining a bubbly personality, Adair is a standout on the team that can do it all.
What made you decide to pursue gymnastics, and when did you start?
“I started when I was three years old because my older sister Kate did it and I remember really wanting to take a class with one of my friends. When I began I was pretty good, a coach saw me and put me in a pre-teen program. It was a higher level than the regular classes I had been taking.”
What’s been your biggest adjustment transitioning from club gymnastics to high school gymnastics?
“The hours are less of a time commitment compared to club where I would do 3 ½ hour practices everyday and high school is only two hour practices. Having less hours allows more time to do homework, but in club gymnastics we do much more strength, conditioning and drills that make you better, so it definitely has its tradeoffs. In high school there’s a lot more meets, sometimes twice a week. I get way less nervous before meets because we do them so often.”
What’s your favorite event, and why?
“My favorite event is bars because it’s a good balance between hard and having fun. I also think that the bar is less scary than the beam because the falls have less risk. I love doing Giants on bars and sticking a dismount, it’s so satisfying.”
Who are your biggest inspirations in gymnastics?
“Probably my teammates because they are super motivational and always there for me. We do a chant before our meets and sit in a circle and it really prepares us for the meet and gets us dialed in. The captains will give us a pep talk before meets and they always cheer me up!”
Can you walk us through your mental preparation before a big meet or competition?
“It’s all about my mindset. The night before I will make sure to go to bed extra early and make sure I am calm. At the actual meet, instead of getting nervous I have to focus on my form and what I am in control of. During my warmup, it’s crucial for me to do well so I feel the best about what I’m about to put on the mat. “
What has been your favorite memory on the gymnastics team? Why?
“We had this one really big meet where we were against 12 teams, which is more than usual. We came in third with our highest team score: 140. We scored the highest in our conference. Even though we didn’t win, we felt super proud of ourselves. At the same meet I had to complete a cold beam routine because I got injured at the last minute. I didn’t have time to warm up before, which is super out of the ordinary for gymnastics, but I did the best I could and went home happy. Another one of my favorite memories is playing charades with the team. Everybody gets super competitive and gives us an opportunity to just let loose and have fun.”
