POULSBO — Mikka Yamane, a sophomore gymnast at Kingston High School, placed eighth at the WIAA State Gymnastics Championships on Feb. 20.

She’s the first gymnast from Kingston High School to bring home a medal from the state gymnastics meet.

The championships, at the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall, featured 16 of the top 2A gymnasts in competition. Yamane took 15th place in beam on Feb. 19, with a score of 8.95. She prepared to test her mettle and advance to the final competition on Feb. 20.

“Tomorrow, they will start all over and what they place [then] will be what they place in State,” Coach Sheila Moore said on Feb. 19 from the state championships.

The next day, Yamane competed again on the balance beam and finished with a score of 9.1, to put her at eighth.

“She went from 15th clear up to eighth on Saturday,” Moore said. “I was so excited for her. It was just great.”

Yamane said she did not expect to medal this year. “Ninety-three girls competed on the beam. It was shocking,” she said.

Yamane said when her coach told her she finished eighth, she was speechless. “I smiled for a while but [I couldn’t] say anything,” she said.

“There’s a point where your hands and feet aren’t touching the beam. I’m catching air and it feels like I’m flying … The adrenaline is my favorite part of gymnastics. It’s a good time and it makes me happy.”

Of the medal that the top eight contesters received, Yamane said, “It’s adorable.” Although she admitted she wished she could have worn her medal to school, she didn’t. It is safely framed in a shadow box.

“People can get discouraged [but] I hope that they take from [this] to not quit on themselves,” Yamane said of her team.

Moore added, “We’re looking toward next year so most of them are already excited … I’m excited for my team. They see the vision for the future.”

Next year, Yamane hopes to be within the top four state finalists.

“The difference between eighth place and first place was only four-tenths of a point,” Yamane said. “That’s the difference between my place and first.”

Although Moore said she is “burnt out from the end of the season,” she is already watching footage to preparation for next year.

“I’m already thinking about a new routine to get Mikka closer to first place,” she said. “We’ve got two more years to work on her routines. We just have to inch it up every year.”

While Yamane has her sights set high for next season, she said she is looking for gymnastics summer camps and local training facilities to work on her skills. However, currently she is focusing on the track season.

“I think gymnastics helps me in track,” she said. “In track I high jump so I need the flexibility and leg power to jump up.”

When asked if Yamane will pursue gymnastics in college she said probably not.

“I might teach gymnastics but I probably won’t do it in college,” she said.

Although Yamane admits to feeling the pressure she said the key to her success is not to stress.

“I walked into the meet thinking, I’ll just try my best,” she said. “Whatever happens, happens.”

Yamane did admit to one habit. “I have a habit to wear my Nikes. I wear my Nikes to every competition and I always do my hair the same.”