Osbourn Park’s Kelly Stevison sidelined by broken right foot

MANASSAS — She’d hoped it was only a sprain, but the pain in Kelly Stevison’s right foot told her it was probably something worse.

The Osbourn Park junior had dealt with sprains. They didn’t hurt like this.

For two days she tried to ignore an obvious injury because she wanted so desperately to compete with her teammates at the Northwest Region meet. Even though she labored to walk and had to grit her teeth to run, Stevison was determined to finish a season that began two months ago with so much promise.

She’d certainly earned the right to try.

“It was such a stupid skill I did it on,” Stevison said. “It hurt, obviously, but I really wanted to compete.”

After landing awkwardly on a dance thru rehearsal for her floor exercise routine, Stevison briefly considered bowing out of regional competition. Once the meet started, however, she changed her mind. Adrenaline and competitive instinct took over.

Unaware that she had broken a bone that would require surgery to repair, Stevison delivered one of the best all-around performances of her career. She qualified for the Group AAA state meet in three events — uneven bars, vault and balance beam — and finished the afternoon with a 36.6 all-around score.

Despite the fracture, Stevison scored a 9.45 on vault, a 9.3 on bars and a 9.3 on the beam during the Northwest Region competition. It was a phenomenal athletic display for the reigning Cedar Run District vault champion: one that proved she belongs among the state’s elite gymnasts even if she won’t be competing against them Saturday afternoon.

Stevison, who earned all-state honors on vault last season, had a screw surgically implanted in her right foot on Wednesday and will be in a cast for at least four weeks.

“It makes me wonder [what she might have accomplished at state], but I can’t dwell on it,” Stevison said. “There’s next year.”

Stevison, whose show-stopping pike Tsukahara vault makes her one of the area’s most entertaining gymnasts, will also miss the Level 10 state club championships next month in Fredericksburg.