FARRAH MAFFAI Holmdel’s Jessica Tai is congratulated by her teammates after her balance beam routine at the NJSIAA State Gymnastics Championships at Old Bridge High School on Friday.
Holmdel High School junior Jessica Tai was exactly where she needed to be entering her final couple of events at the NJSIAA Gymnastics Championships at Old Bridge High School on Friday.
The Hornet was leading Kaitlyn Kaplan, a freshman at Jackson Memorial High School, but by such a minimal amount that any mistake could have been the determining factor for the rest of the way.
After each had completed their floor exercises, Tai led Kaplan by .325. On the floor, Tai took second behind defending champion Erin Muirhead of South River with a score of 9.575. Kaplan scored a 9.475 for fifth place.
On the beam, Tai scored a 9.5, furthering herself from Kaplan. But the freshman’s performance on the vault put her in the driver’s seat as she won the event with a 9.7. From there, all Kaplan had to do was tie Tai on the uneven bars to clinch the overall title.
Both gymnasts scored 9.575 (behind only Muirhead’s 9.625), and the 14-year-old from Jackson had stunned everyone with a state title.
As for Tai, she was obviously disappointed after coming so close, but was complimentary of both Kaplan and Muirhead. In the end, it wasn’t any mistakes that determined the champion, as much as it was a clutch performance on the vault.
In the team competition, it was Red Bank Catholic taking home the championship, as the Caseys scored 109.125 points, beating second-place Westfield (107.9).