Burtinsky chalks up success
Chris McCarty
Since the age of 10, Burtinsky had been living away from her parents, and pursuing her goals of becoming skilled at her sport.
“The first year was very hard,” Burtinsky said. “I was young and missed my parents. I loved the people and coaches I trained with, though.”
The Seneca Gymnastics Club also was where Burtinsky got a lot of her education. She attended classes there until she was in eighth grade, when she transferred to a nearby high school.
“We would train in the morning, then go to school, and then back to the gym,” Burtinsky said. “We were in the gym more than in the classroom.”
Burtinsky said her training got her to where she is now.
“It was definitely a tough route,” the Canada native said. “But I don’t think I would have done it any other way.”
When Burtinsky came to CMU, she would not be the only foreigner. Fellow sophomores Shanna Duggan and Laura McClaren also are from Canada. But there was still a big difference.
“Here it is very team oriented, but back home we competed as a team only for nationals and that was still more as an individual,” Burtinsky said. “Here it is very goal oriented and the crowd is much louder. In Canada, the crowds don’t cheer.”
Burtinsky also would have to get used to the scoring of collegiate gymnastics.
“The scores are a lot higher in college,” she said. “In club (gymnastics) it is hard to get a 9.0, let alone a 10.0.”
She did have a very successful club career. She was a Canadian National Champion in 2000, and at the 2001 provincial championships she was the first in Canadian National history to score a 10.0 on the floor exercise.
Although Burtinsky was accustomed to being away from home, she still had to adjust to college gymnastics.
“I knew was used to being on my own, so it wasn’t that type of adjustment,” she said. “The intensity to win as a team and how team oriented everything was not what I was used to.”
Head Coach Jerry Reighard said Burtinsky had to make a few adjustments.
“The Canadian system is different in that judges here try to help an athlete,” Reighard said. “Sara was trained not to look at the judges, especially on her floor routine. It was a big transition for her.”
Reighard has been recruiting in Canada for four years and looked at Burtinsky for two years.
“She had a great reputation, and I watched her for two years before we met face to face during her senior year,” Reighard said. “Her club had a great reputation for disciplined athletes, and her coaches made it very clear that she would fit into our program.”
As a freshman, Burtinsky competed in all 13 meets on the vault, uneven bars and the balance beam. She competed twice in the all-around.
This season at the MAC Championship, she tied for second place on the uneven bars with a score of 9.950. She also tied for fourth place on the floor exercise with a score of 9.90. Burtinsky said her team is in a good spot going into the NCAA Regional meet this weekend.
“We’re in a very good position and we are all really excited,” she said. “MACs really set us up, and I think the rotation will really set us up for where we want to go. We have the same chance as every other team there to make it to Nationals.”
Burtinsky’s improvement from her freshman to sophomore year gives Reighard reason to believe she will get even better.
“What Sara has is pretty unique gymnastic skills that put her apart from other gymnasts,” Reighard said. “The whole structure, from each routine, have unique moves that give her the elite status. We have two more years of Sara Burtinsky and that’s exciting.”
All of Burtinsky’s success in the gym comes with a price.
“Sometimes it’s hard to see all my friends who have all this time,” Burtinsky said. “I would like to have more time, but I’ve been doing this my whole life and I don’t know anything else.”
