By Wayne Witkowski
Jacie Van de Zilver, a junior on Jackson Memorial High School’s gymnastics team, took a daring gamble when she decided to add a twisting move at the end of her vault that helped her secure a gold medal in that event in the NJSIAA individual championships in Montgomery last month.
Her final event helped her wrap up seventh place in the all-around for her best finish in her third straight trip to the state individual meet.
“I didn’t know I finished in first place in the vault. I thought I finished second while it was announced,” Van de Zilver said.
She had a season-high score of 9.8 in her favorite event, and she is believed to be the school’s first gymnastics state medalist in at least 15 years.
She also hit the 38-point mark for the first time in the all-around at Jackson Memorial at 38.35, which also surprised her.
“I’ve been getting in the high 37s in the all-around, and the judges are harder in the state meet. It’s not easy to get a high score,” Van de Zilver said. “I knew I had to put in a tough move so I could get a higher score.”
On vault, Van de Zilver executes a Yurchenko full move, which calls for a fast run to the board, a catapult and back handspring and then the final new move: a layout full twist at the end of her routine as she hits the floor.
“I’ve never done it in high school. I’ve done it with my club team, but I hadn’t done that [final move] on the vault with them since last May,” said Van de Zilver, who competes for the Millstone-based club team Action Gymnastics.
“Her execution was near perfect. There was a little hop on the landing, but she was clear in the air,” Jackson Memorial coach Diana Strizki said, as Van de Zilver had great height for her vault. “We talked to her club coach, who agreed she was able to do it.”
In hindsight, Van de Zilver needed that move and could’ve gone from first to sixth without it. Her 9.8 score was followed closely by Ally Cucich of Red Bank Catholic High School and Samantha Marion of Ramapo High School, who tied for second place at 9.750, and Monica Servidio of Howell High School and Farrah Chernov of Marlboro High School — another Action gymnast — who were tied for fourth at 9.70. Another Red Bank Catholic gymnast, Nicolette DiPrisco, was right behind at 9.650.
Servidio finished first in the all-around.
In the past two state individual meets, Van de Zilver scored 37.075 each time to finish 12th and 13th in the all-around. She made the big jump this year to seventh place with scores of 9.350 on the balance beam and floor exercise and 9.525 on uneven bars. Van de Zilver said she added skills to the uneven bars this season, and her signature move on uneven bars is a pull on-pull off on bars before a blind change.
“At first, I was kind of nervous, but the floor [exercise] and vault boosted my confidence,” Van de Zilver said.
She has scored consistently well in the floor exercise and balance beam through the season to help her team finish 9-1, winning its last nine dual-meets after dropping its opener to Howell. For the first time in program history, it included a victory over Jackson Liberty High School, 104-100.375. The Jackson teams are crosstown rivals, but both coaches have played that down because Jackson Liberty shares its gym, which is more compatible for gymnastics than Jackson Memorial’s. It has brought the gymnasts on both teams closer together, as they root for each other to succeed and were among the gymnastics fans excited for Van de Zilver.
“I was kind of nervous, but they have been encouraging me to do well,” Van de Zilver said. “Most of my teammates were supportive. It was just good to have all my friends from other teams and other schools supporting me because that really helped me get through it.”
Jackson Memorial won the Shore Conference A South Division behind Van de Zilver and junior Taylor Cusick, who scores well in the even bars and balance beam; sophomore Megan Compell, who also is strong in vault; and sophomore Gianna Weikel and freshman Alyssa Takacs in floor exercise.
“It’s the overall consistency,” Strizki said of the team’s commanding performance all season in which its closest victories came over Southern Regional High School, 105-103.6, and Brick Memorial High School, 105.7-103.8, in A South meets. “We had a lot of kids develop and improve over the season as their scores increased.”
Van de Zilver’s medal in vault and good showing in the all-around were somewhat expected after she finished first in vault, uneven bars and all-around in the keenly competitive NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV meet, where Jackson Memorial finished fourth behind Brick Memorial, Jackson Liberty and Washington Township High School.
Van de Zilver also had a fourth-place finish on vault at the Shore Conference Championships (9.775) but saved her best for last during the high school season at state individuals.