Macay’s floor show helps produce good feelings all around in GMC’s

By Rich Fisher, Sports Editor
   At the conclusion of last Wednesday’s Greater Middlesex Conference Gymnastics Championship, Jess Macay waited and listened with everyone else as they announced the All-Around finishers.
   She wasn’t fourth.
   She wasn’t third.
   She wasn’t second.
   Hey wait a minute. She wasn’t second!
   ”When second place was called and it wasn’t me, I knew I had won it,” said the South Brunswick High junior, who amassed a score of 37.85. “I was surprised. I was amazed. I didn’t even know what to say I was just so excited.”
   As the old saying goes, Macay let her performance do her talking as she won floor with a 9.75 score, took third on beam (9.475), fourth on vault (9.45) and sixth on bars (9.175).
   ”I am so proud of Jess,” coach Mindy Verderami said. “She deserves this recognition, and how amazing is it to happen her junior year. I am so happy for her.”
   Macay’s effort helped the Vikings to a second-place team finish behind Bishop Ahr, which is what Macay was really thinking about all night.
   ”I just wanted to help the team out because we thought we had a chance,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking about winning all around, but I did. I felt like I was doing really good. I wobbled a little on beam, but got it back.”
   Ironically, she felt more nervous before this GMC meet than her previous two, but managed to handle the jitters.
   ”I don’t know why but this was definitely one of my most nerve-wracking meets,” she said. “I just felt so much pressure, but I try to get through it when I’m competing. You focus, you think to yourself ‘You’ve done this before, so try to keep focused and know that you can do it again.’”
   Macay concluded her rotation with floor, which is easily her best event.
   ”Her floor routine is absolutely magical,” Verderami said. “I never leave a meet without a judge commenting on how much they enjoy watching Jess perform on floor. She tumbles so high, I could walk under her as she flips.
   ”But the biggest pleasure is watching the dance portion of her routine, it is so gracefully done, like a ballerina.”
   Macay said she is always happy to finish up on floor just to leave a good taste in her mouth.”
   ”I definitely like ending with it,” she said. “I want to end with a big finish so I can feel better about everything when I’m done.”
   But man – or in this case, girl — does not live by floor alone if she wants to win an all-around title. Macay is no slouch in the other events.
   ”Her vault has increased in value since last year, and she has become very consistent with that,” Verderami said. “She has always been a go-to person for beam, and will continue to be. She makes it look so easy.”
   What is most amazing, is that Macay makes it look easy while competing in pain. An injured left wrist that started bothering her last year, still has not healed. In fact, Macay needs to have surgery once the season ends.
   ”It bothers me for every event, it hurts a lot,” she admitted. “But you just can’t think about it. I just try to keep doing my best.”
   And in 2008, her best was better than anyone in Middlesex County.