University of Minnesota Athletics
Beikmann Competes at U.S. Qualifier Saturday
7/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
Former University of Minnesota men’s gymnast Kit Beikmann will be competing for a spot at the Visa Championships this weekend. Beikmann is taking part in the final qualifying meet for the prestigious meet Saturday in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Visa Championships qualifying meet will be a homecoming of sorts for Beikmann, who hails from Brighton, Colo. He said that while he is a bit nervous for the meet, he will have a support system there.
“This is a big competition and it’s both exciting and a little nerve-wracking,” Beikmann said. “Competing back in my home state in front of friends and family will be a little different. It will be more comforting having my family there, no matter which way things go.”
Many of the competitors Beikmann will be facing Saturday will be very familiar to him from collegiate competitions. He said matching up against some of his long-time rivals has made it easy for him to train for this competition.
“I’ve done a lot of good routines in training,” Beikmann said. “I’m feeling pretty confident at this point. It has been easier to get into competition mode, knowing I’m going to see a lot of the same guys that I competed against at NCAAs.”
Beikmann finished fifth -- lower than he hoped and expected -- at the 2009 NCAA Championships, which were held at Minnesota’s Sports Pavilion this past spring. He is looking forward to competing against some of the same gymnasts who took higher places on the podium back in April.
“This is a chance for me to gain back a little bit of pride,” he said.
To qualify for the Visa Championships, gymnasts are ranked with a points system based on their combined finish in all six events or by virtue of finishing first or second in an event. Beikmann specializes in the pommel horse, so his best opportunity to advance would most likely be a top-two finish on the horse.
Beikmann finished his Gopher career this past spring. He was a finalist for the Nissen-Emery Award in 2009. Beikmann was a two-time All-America performer and a two-time All-Big Ten finisher. He was the Big Ten runner-up on the pommel horse as a junior in 2008. He is a four-year letterwinner and served as team captain as a senior.
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