Fort Morgan junior Gabby Ricks secured a silver medal in the vault at the Colorado Class 4A state gymnastics championships held at the Denver Coliseum.
Ricks earned a 9.425 score during Saturday’s individual event finals, marking a successful conclusion to her third state meet appearance.
The transition to the Denver Coliseum provided a new backdrop for the state competition, which previously took place at Thornton High School. “I love that we’re in a big venue where you can really see how well everyone does,” Ricks told the Fort Morgan Times.
Ricks entered the state meet as a top-tier competitor in Class 4A after earning her bid through qualifying rounds. During Friday’s all-around competition, she finished 15th with a total score of 34.150. Her performance included a 9.300 on the vault, where she executed a tsuk pike tsuk.
The atmosphere of the larger arena proved challenging for the junior, who noted that the scale of the event increased her nerves. “I definitely think I got really nervous and started to psych myself out,” Ricks said. “My body was just really jittery, and I think that definitely played a part in how I did with the other events.”
Beyond her vault success, Ricks recorded an 8.475 on bars, 7.600 on beam, and 8.775 on floor during the all-around session. Her silver-medal vault score of 9.425 on Saturday improved upon her Friday performance by 0.125 points.
Ricks reflected on her development since her freshman season, noting that her current skill set includes maneuvers she once considered out of reach.
“I could have never imagined being able to do a back tuck on beam or even like a pike tsuk,” she said. “It was more of knowing that if I try, I can succeed.”
| Event | Friday Score | Saturday Score |
| :— | :— | :— |
| Vault | 9.300 | 9.425 |
| Bars | 8.475 | N/A |
| Beam | 7.600 | N/A |
| Floor | 8.775 | N/A |
| All-Around | 34.150 | N/A |
The 2024 Class 4A state gymnastics meet was held at the Denver Coliseum. This replaced the previous venue at Thornton High School.
The recent competition marked Ricks’ third appearance at the state championship level. She has competed in the event since her freshman year.
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