Aug. 2, 2006

Written By: Ashley LeVine, Media Relations Intern

Gretchen Kittelberger, a 5'1" rising junior from Webster, New York, joined the Terps Gymnastics Team in the fall of 2004. Gretchen entered the University of Maryland coming off of a solid finish to her prestigious Level 10 career, where she was ranked 17th all-around and 11th on vault at the Level 10 Junior Olympic Nationals in 2003. Her strong credentials as a Level 9 Eastern National all-around champion in 2001, and three-time Level 10 JO National qualifier secured her the potential for a successful college gymnastics career. What her competitive club background at Penev's Gymnastics could not predict, however, was the strength of character and the inconceivable amount of determination she was able to demonstrate this season as she made a remarkable comeback in record time from an injury that sidelined her halfway through her freshman year at Maryland.

Gretchen started her college career as the star freshman in 2005, consistently competing in three events per meet and contributing to the team score as an all-around competitor in two meets. Her strong three-event performance at Penn State in January of 2005 earned Kittelberger the honor of East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) Rookie of the Week. Her stellar freshman season was cut short when an adverse landing to a beam dismount at George Washington University on March 2, 2005 caused a tear of her ACL requiring her to sit out the remainder of the year.

Although Gretchen's physical condition was damaged, her mental state was astonishingly stronger than ever as she viewed her injury as an obstacle that she could most definitely overcome, rather than a finale to her college career that had only just begun. "I really wanted to prove to myself that I could come back from this injury and compete at the same level that I did before," said Gretchen, "I didn't want it to be something that limited me for the rest of my career, or the rest of my life." In effect, Gretchen came into each practice even more determined than before to make the most of her time as a college athlete. On her own, and with the support of the coaches, she modified strength and conditioning to create her own workout program during her "time off". Her ability to self-motivate and develop a training regime that worked for her compromised condition was amazing to both her coaches and teammates. Once released from the doctors to begin rehab and actual training, Gretchen remained committed to her goal of a comeback by working with the trainer, on her own, and with the coaches to regain the strength in her knee, as well as the overall fitness necessary, to compete gymnastics at a Division One level. According to Kittelberger "the most positive aspect of gymnastics here at Maryland is the fact that if you are willing to work hard and want to improve the coaches here will do everything in their power to make sure that you do. It is a very supportive environment." In addition, Gretchen had to reclaim the mental confidence needed to perform high level skills with assurance in order to prevent re-injury. She commented, "The hardest thing [about coming back] was definitely being able to trust that my knee was strong and that it really was healed. I knew that the doctors did a great job on the surgery and that I had done all the necessary rehab, but it took me a long time before I really got back the confidence in myself and my knee that I needed to do gymnastics again."

After a summer of intense training and the completion of a disciplined rehab program, Gretchen was able to take part in complete practices and pre-season strength sessions with the team during the fall of 2005. In January 2006, she was prepared to contribute in three events while still building the confidence necessary to have a competitive floor routine. By the end of the 2006 season, Gretchen competed at least once in each event, therefore fulfilling her goal of accomplishing a complete comeback from her devastating injury. "When we competed at NC State, I did my floor routine for the first time since my knee injury. For me this marked the point where I really considered myself back to 100% because I now had gone out and competed every event and felt as if I was performing just as well as I had before my injury," said Kittelberger.

She concluded her first full season for the Terps with a solid performance at the EAGL Conference Championships held at Rutgers University on March 25, 2006. At EAGL, Gretchen was a three-event competitor and scored a 9.550 on vault, 9.550 on bars, and 9.450 on beam. Gretchen's determination is inspiring as she is currently preparing for, and looking forward to another successful and healthy season. Head Coach, Bob Nelligan commented, "Gretchen's strong work ethic and desire to improve set the stage for a great comeback this season. Gretchen's workouts during the first summer session were exciting, productive, and beneficial to building confidence for next season." Concerning next season Gretchen says, "I am feeling great now. I haven't had any problems with my knee, and I am very grateful for that...overall I am pretty satisfied with the way I performed this past season, but I am definitely hoping to be able to step up my performance level for this coming year...I am working on a lot of new skills this summer, so my goal for next year is to be able to put a lot of those skills into my routines. I also hope to be able to perform more consistently and confidently this season." Coach Nelligan said, "I expect Gretchen to be 100% ready to push for a `super six' lineup position and perform at her highest level during 2007."