After missing a season because of injuries and having another injury crop up at an inopportune time, Addison resident Kylie Fischer had the gymnastics meet of her life May 3-4 at the Peoria Civic Center. The 13-year-old was the Level 8 Region V champion, tying Brittany Aragon of Michigan for first place.


Fischer competes for Palmer’s Gymnastics, Inc. in Bloomingdale. She is one of few Palmer’s gymnasts to win a Level 8 regional championship. Region V is comprised of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio.


“I didn’t expect anything really,” Fischer said. “I didn’t expect big things. I didn’t know anyone. Usually, I see the same people at every meet. I was like, ‘Whoa.’ “


Neil Palmer, the club’s co-owner and a former United States national team member, wasn’t quite as surprised.   Palmer and his wife Debbie are Fischer’s coaches.

Realizing that she had won the state championship a few weeks earlier, they knew Fischer could be in the title hunt.


“Illinois is a very strong state,” Palmer said, “so when you do well in Illinois, typically you can do well in Region V. That said, (its) usually the strongest region in the nation, so you do have to bring your ‘A’ game. She did that.”

There was good reason for Fischer’s surprise, which went beyond the level of competition. Her foot was in a boot until just before the state meet because of an ankle injury.


Fischer started gymnastics at age 4 at Illinois Gymnastics Institute, which was located in Addison at that time. Fischer took classes at the Addison Park District and Gymkhana, a club in Hanover Park, before landing at Palmer’s as a third grader.


She said she didn’t really start concentrating on gymnastics until then. Fischer just finished seventh grade at Indian Trail Junior High School in Addison.


Fischer was accustomed to doing well. She won state championships at Level 4 and Level 6 and finished second in Level 5 by.25. She was injured last year and didn’t get to compete in the Level 7 state meet because of injuries. Fischer broke her wrist and a toe during the season, in addition to going through a growth spurt.

“It a whole year out of a long process,” said Palmer, who competed at Addison Trail and the University of Nebraska. “You can’t really train. You don’t plan on that happening, but it’s sometimes a (motivator) for the right kid if they don’t get discouraged.


“I’ve seen a kid (Wheaton North co-op high school gymnast Sarah Beste) miss by the smallest margin (.05) and use that as fuel. Then come back and win nationals the next year.”


Fischer missed two weeks of practice leading up to the state meet April 4-6. Then, she only practiced each of her routines once in preparation for the meet.


“I almost didn’t get to go to state,” Fischer said. “I did one of everything, and I was done.”


During the meet, she had no first-place finishes on the four events, so taking first in all-around was something of a shock.


“My sister (Taylor) came and told me about it,” Fischer said. “I was like, you’re joking.”


Again, Palmer wasn’t as surprised. There was a method to his preparation and Fischer had been competing well prior to the injury.


“She has good skills and she’s very competitive,” Palmer said. “She didn’t have to be nervous because she was on top of it. We did everything else we physically could do, so that when her body was ready to go, she was prepared. That was a training strategy.”


With time to heal before regional meet, Fischer was hoping for a top-seven finish, which would allow her to make the regional team. She opened with a 9.25 in floor exercise, which put her in 15th place, then nailed her piked Yurchenko vault for a 9.45 and second place.


“It was kind of like a pitcher throwing a no-hitter,” Palmer said. “She was in the zone.”


Her first regional meet couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. Gymnasts can’t advance to  regional competition until they reach Level 8.


Then it got better.


Fischer moved to uneven parallel bars and notched a 9.60.


“This was like the best routine I’d ever done,” Fischer said. “I just wanted to do a really good routine. When I hit that, I had a lot of confidence.”


With three hit routines behind her, she only had balance beam ahead — but that event typically divides the best gymnasts from the also-rans.


“You still have to finish strong,” Palmer said. “You need to do well on beam to do well in all-around.”


Although beam isn’t her strongest events, she said she’s gotten stronger on it this year and her routine included key skills like a tucked back somersault.


“My warmups were pretty good,” Fischer said. “I really wanted to hit beam. I wanted to make my back tuck. When I got that, I was hoping to win.”


Fischer finished fourth on beam with a 9.45. Her father, Scott Fischer, was sitting next to Aragon’s family in the stands and knew the two had identical 37.775 all-around totals (9.444 avg.).


“That was the best score I’ve gotten all year,” Fischer said. “Usually I get 36s.”
Curently, Fischer is practicing five hours a day, Monday through Friday, in order to make the jump to Level 10 for next season. She has also done one Level 9 meet to help qualify her.


“I really want to go up to Level 10,” Fischer said. “I’m working on a lot of new tricks. I’m not expecting to do really well this year. I’m just hoping to go through it without hurting myself. I really had to try it.”


On weekends, Fischer is pitching for a 14-and-under softball team called the Razzle, which draws from Addison and Villa Park. Scott is one of the coaches.


Her mother, Tiffaney Fischer, said that the uniqueness of the two sports provides a balance for her daughter.


Making the jump to Level 10 will be difficult. Palmer said improving her form will be more of a chalenge for Fischer than mastering the new skills she’ll need to compete.


“Her score right now is coming from her ability to hit routines and do required skills,” Palmer said. “If we can clean up her form along with her style and showmanship, she’s going to go a long way. If she can (master) Level 10 — which is not a given — and compete at the national level, that could put her in position to be an NCAA collegiate athlete. That would just be fantastic.”