DeKALB – DeKalb-Sycamore gymnastics coach Andy Morreale knew the pressure was mounting on his gymnasts as they fell, one after another, on the balance beam in last year’s Glenbard North Sectional, but he tried to keep thoughts of imminent failure out of his head.

The Barbs were close to securing an at-large berth in the state meet, but the balance beam stood in their way. Every DeKalb-Sycamore gymnast slipped off of the beam, which cost the Barbs two points. They missed qualifying for the state meet by a half point.

“It was one of those things, where if one of those kids falls, it’s kind of a snowball effect,” Morreale said. “If you miss, you’re not just hurting yourself, you’re hurting the whole team, and I think that adds a lot of extra pressure.”