Around 573 girls compete in high school gymnastics in Indiana, and 80 high schools have a gymnastics team. Only about 60–70 of those girls qualify for the state championship at Ball State. On March 14, sophomore Kendyl Fidler made history by being one of the first from Lowell to qualify. Qualifying for state demonstrates that you are more than capable of competing with the best in the state.

When asked the question, “What were your thoughts about making it to state?” Kendyl replied, “Making it to state was very surreal, and getting to compete in an arena was an amazing experience.”

I then asked, “How do you think you did while competing?” She responded, “I did pretty well competing. I added two new tumbling passes and hit all of them, which was very exciting, and I scored a 9.025.”

The experience of qualifying for state is like no other. Kendyl described it as “amazing, and being able to make it that far in the postseason made me gain more confidence in myself.”

When Kendyl was asked the final question, “What are you expecting to do next season?” she responded, “Next season I am hoping to make it to the postseason for all-around, not only individual events, and to add new skills in every event.”

Making it to state is a milestone that everyone in a sport hopes to achieve, but only a few will, based on the amount of work they put in, how dedicated they are, and the grit they show when things get tough. Kendyl has shown that when you have all of these qualities, your goals are possible, even if you injure yourself early in the season. Her dedication and grit are why she was able to make history for our school.