Name: Caroline Kloblach
Year: senior
Hometown: Hinsdale
When was your first gymnastics class?
I started doing gymnastics when I was 2 years old, but I only started high school last year. Third grade I started competing in club, but I was doing younger classes before then.
What do you enjoy most about the sport?
I just really enjoy the tumbling aspect of it and just being able to flip around.
What is your favorite event?
Either floor or bars.
What is your most challenging event?
Definitely the beam. I have a hard time staying on with tumbling series and things like that.
What is the best advice you've gotten from a coach?
What you do in practice is what you're going to do during the meet, and when you know how to do something, your body will remember that even if you're nervous. Also, it's just for fun and it's supposed to be enjoyable, not especially stressful or upsetting, especially when you're at competitions that don't matter that much.
What is your goal for the season?
I want to make it to state for more than just one event. I would really hope to make it for the all-around. As a team we want to be able to advance further than we did last year. Individually a few of us were able to move on past regionals and sectionals, but not all of us. It would be really cool as a team to do that.
What do you try to do as a team captain?
I try to just encourage them to have a lot of fun with it, because I know when I first started high school gymnastics last year, I was still treating it like club gymnastics. I was very hard on myself, very serious. If something goes wrong or they do bad, we just try to laugh it off and go back in the gym and work hard for next time.
Did you make a New Year's resolution?
I'm going to try to keep a positive outlook on life and not let the small things affect me.
Why does coach Kim Estoque like having Klobach on the team?
Caroline is a hard worker and a team leader. She is our top all-around gymnast on the team and she is a pleasure to work with.
- profile by Pamela Lannom, photo by Jim Slonoff