What Montgomery County high schools would lose without varsity gymnastics

What is it that we should hope for the athletes who compete in gymnastics once they reach high school?

Is it to ultimately qualify for the Olympics? (Probably not; we all know that’s only a handful of people in the entire country, right?)

A college scholarship? (Maybe, but again, small percentage here.)

Or is it something else altogether?

That’s the question many should have been asking in the wake of Montgomery County Public Schools announcing earlier this year that it would end sponsorship of gymnastics as an official high school sport, citing low participation and the high cost of facilities. Even though that decision has been put on pause, with officials citing missing steps in the process, there’s been little clarity on the future of the sport after next season.

What we hope for for high schoolers competing is as simple as it is compelling: that they have a chance to practice what they love while building confidence, strength and resilience. And that they learn to root for their friends and treat their competitors with grace.

I grew up in Maryland, outside of Baltimore, but spent recent years embedded in the high school gymnastics scene in Ohio to write a book about one of the country’s most dominant programs. So I know firsthand how beneficial high school gymnastics, even if it does not represent the pinnacle of the sport or even a pathway to scholarships, is for those who matter most: the young women on the mats.

In Brecksville-Broadview Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, the high school gymnastics team has won every single state title since 2004. Their secret? The club gym where the gymnasts train broke with tradition by allowing its gymnasts to compete for the high school team. Gym owners Joan Ganim and her late husband Ron thought that their gymnasts were working so hard in the gym they may as well have some fun and show their school friends what they were doing every night.

So for decades, the Bees have rostered gymnasts headed for the next level — including at the University of Maryland — alongside athletes who joined in high school, just for fun. Each season the team comes together like a family and forms lifelong memories for the gymnasts, many of whom keep in touch for decades after they compete.

In my book, “A Fraction of A Point: A Gymnastics Dynasty on the Line,” I documented the team’s drive to its 20th consecutive title and saw them come together for team dinners, to support each other through mental blocks and grow friendships that lasted long beyond the season. Whereas club gymnastics usually feels high-pressure, the school competitions allowed the girls to feel like they were part of a community — to represent their classmates and be swept up with school spirit.

It reminded me of my time playing high school sports — Go Catonsville Comets! — and it’s hardly unique to the Bees.

Montgomery County gymnasts would have lost these chances to experience something similar, and the calculation didn’t make much sense. Yes, elite gymnastics is an expensive proposition, but that’s all the more reason schools should invest in creating a lower-cost alternative that opens the sport to more girls who might want to give it a try. No doubt many will be intrigued by the sport during the 2028 Olympics and now may have a place to experience it.

This is an opportunity for area club gyms to encourage their athletes to participate in high school as well, boosting participation and enthusiasm for all.

And if the distress behind the county’s decision to cancel high school gymnastics didn’t show how much fun and how valuable it can be, here’s one more piece of proof.

When I was reporting the book, I spent a lot of time with Leah Miko, a longtime assistant coach who also won four state titles as a Bee when she was in high school. Leah and her teammates had told me about all of the time they spent together, the hours in the gym and the nerves they conquered. After spending a long season with the team in what was a stressful year (they may, to be fair, all be stressful years), I asked Leah what she hoped her gymnasts would take from their time as Bees — knowing how much of their high school hours had been spent trying to be the best they could be at their sport, for the sake of careers that would end when they graduated from high school.

She hoped, she told me, that they looked back at the memories they created with the fondness she does — and that the team provided a place where they belonged for their four years and beyond.

“I just hope that the girls I coach have the feeling that I feel every day — as corny as it is — of being blessed to be part of that team.”

Now Montgomery County gymnasts — at least for one more year — will continue to have that chance. And with an eye towards the Olympics boosting interest in the sport, that should be enough time to solidify plans for much longer.

Nina Mandell will discuss her book, “A Fraction of A Point: A Gymnastics Dynasty,” at the Ivy Bookshop this evening. She is a graduate of Catonsville High School and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She is the former managing editor of USA Today’s For The Win site and former digital director of NBC Sports Washington.