Usually, gymnasts are very young when he or she begins gymnastics. Mom enrolls the young child into a basic class and from there, that person realizes his or her for love gymnastics.

Senior Jillian Dean though, is quite the opposite. In eighth grade, Dean was ready to try gymnastics with a friend, but when her friend bailed, Dean decided she was going to just try it herself.

“Being older, I never really had any of the basics that you really needed, not having the basics I knew I had to be fearless and just go with whatever was thrown at me. ”

And last Saturday, her experience was put to the test at the State Sectional meet. Dean’s goal for the season was to qualify for the State Championship meet; which would require a gymnast to place in the top five on any apparatus (bars, beam, floor or vault) or score at least a 36 in the all-around category.

Dean exceeded her wildest expectations, winning bars with a 9.5 and qualifying with a 36.15 all-around.

Ramapo’s Samantha Marion won beam, floor and the all-around, Leah Gneco of Northern Highlands won vault. One of the best gymnasts in the county, Emma Johnson of Ramapo, was lost of the rest of the season due to wrist injury.

Freshman Melissa Ricciardi, one of the best newcomers in the area, also qualified all-around scoring a 36.225. Her score was enough to place her third in the all-around.