Central Catholic’s Cami Rueda dominates
TEWKSBURY >> As a radiant ray of sunshine engulfed the gymnasium on Presidents’ Day, Cami Rueda felt some nerves kicking in. For the first time in her life, she was participating in a statewide high school showcase, simply hoping to leave a lasting impression.
However, the senior had plenty of prior experience with gymnastics outside the confines of Central Catholic, and it quickly became apparent for fans that Monday’s meet was not her first rodeo.
The Salem native put on a show for the crowd in attendance, and was ultimately named the Massachusetts High School Gymnastics Association’s All-Around individual meet champion for her efforts at Tewksbury Memorial High School.
“There’s still a lot of pressure,” Rueda said afterward. “But it’s way easier to keep my cool and stay calm with such a great support system, coach, teammates. It’s way easier to just go out there and have fun.”
This year, Rueda decided to join Central Catholic’s program for a season after being a part of a Junior Olympic developmental program with Brestyan’s
Gymnastics in Burlington. The senior went on to accumulate a combined score of 38.375 points, besting Westwood’s Maggie Murphy for first place honors by .375 in the standings. The UNC commit recorded a 9.675 in the vault competition, a 9.450 in the bars, and a score of 9.425 on the beam.
However, her crowning highlight came during her floor routine, which happened to be one of the last performances of the day. As she danced through the motions, a weight was lifted off the senior’s shoulders. In fact, she felt at peace, even with the individual championship hanging in the balance.
Yet, it was almost as though she hardly knew.
“Today, I actually did a different routine than I normally do,” said Rueda. “I just kind of went out there to show it off, do what I do best, and I did it.”
When Rueda completed her routine, the crowd erupted into pandemonium. The judges proceeded to award her a stunning score of 9.825, winning the title for the senior.
Murphy placed second overall among competitors for Westwood with a score of 38.0. Andover standout Gabriella Bresnick finished third among competitors (37.8).