The most difficult floor routine in NCAA gymnastics doesn’t come from a top ten team, it doesn’t come from the SEC, it’s not in the Big 12, and you won’t find it in the Pac-12. It’s in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League. Specifically, in the heart of D.C., at George Washington University.
Kendall Whitman is no stranger to these difficult passes. She’s had them under her belt and tuned into her muscle memory since her time in level 10. And why has she continued to keep these difficult E-passes all these years? “Because they’re fun and I love them,” Whitman says.
In a sport that can be about playing it safe, that’s far from Whitman’s game. In fact, she hadn’t competed bars in college prior to this year. That’s right, her first year competing bars in college and Whitman qualified herself in the all around to regionals. Head Coach Margie Foster-Cunningham remarked that she knew this team wasn’t as strong as bars as they could be, but she called Whitman selfless in choice to step up to the plate. Well, chalkbucket.
While this all around game might be new territory for Whitman, greatness isn’t. After setting a program record by posting a 197.200 at the Towson tri-meet, Whitman proudly points out, something clicked for the team. Suddenly, qualifying a team for regionals became a real possibility.
As important as her greatness is her clear selflessness. What she didn’t even touch on was her contribution to that score: a career-high 39.425 in the all around and a 9.975 on floor. That 9.975 is a new program record and that all around score puts her in the top 10 for George Washington.
Throughout the season, Foster-Cunningham tells her team, “If you want beautiful things to happen, you have to do beautiful things.” Her team has stayed diligent on bars all season long, and although the payoff may not have happened this year, Foster-Cunningham smiled. Behind that smile is a hint of the greatness and selflessness in this team, and the plan for a beautiful season to come next year.
Article by Allison Freeman
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