You could say Boise State senior Courtney Blackson has a flair for the dramatic.
The Broncos’ three-event specialist qualified for last year’s national championship in spectacular fashion with a perfect 10 on her Yurchenko one and a half to top the vault field at the jam-packed Los Angeles regional and ultimately finished as runner-up at nationals.
This year, she again qualified individually for nationals and snagged a sixth-place and podium finish, this time on bars. Her journey to Fort Worth this time around was even more exceptional than the last, given that it shouldn’t have happened at all after a midseason lower leg injury derailed Blackson’s game plan.
According to Boise State head coach Tina Bird, they weren’t sure Blackson would be able to return to gymnastics, period, never mind at a nationally competitive level in time for the postseason. “It was a big blow,” Bird said. “We were doing walking, strengthening, and all that stuff, but I don’t think she did her first landing until the day before we left [for the Fayetteville regional].”
Blackson recalls initially just focusing on her conditioning and being able to walk, but—with her collegiate gymnastics career wrapping up in April regardless—resumed training bars into a pit after a couple of weeks. Said Blackson, “The day before our last day that [Bird] could submit competitors before regionals, that was the one day that I did a landing. Basically, I ‘Kerri Strugged’ it. I said, ‘I’m going to compete and be able to end on that high note.’”
Though Blackson’s health was always the priority, Bird noted, “I’m so happy she could do another routine and not have [the injury] be the end of her career,” said Bird. “She doesn’t really have a weak event, but I would say vault and floor come more naturally to her, and she’s had to work harder on bars. So for that to be the thing that got her here with one week of preparation going, it’s just exciting.”
Nationals berth aside, that regional performance was particularly meaningful to Blackson because she matched the career-high of 9.950 she’d “been fighting for for years” and finally earned during the San Jose State quad before injuring herself on vault a few rotations later.
Now, knowing how the story ends, Bird said, “She took a really bad situation that could have been, ‘You’re done with gymnastics and have to watch your team win a conference championship without you,’ even though she got us there and knows she’s a part of it,” said Bird. “So for this to be the end for her, it just couldn’t be better.”
“Of course, we always want to do good, leave it all out on the floor, try to get the best score you can,” said Blackson, “but I would say my overall goal [at nationals] was to enjoy it considering it is my last meet, possibly my last time ever. I just want to take it all in, make new friends, have good memories, and leave one last name for myself.”
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Article by Claire Billman
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