"When they asked me, I was so excited," said Kyle Tuckey, all-around gymnast from Palatine. "And I could not believe it. It has been phenomenal. All the working has finally paid off."
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"I'm mostly looking forward to the competition. This is a new adventure for me, a new competition, it's a whole week, it's just really new," said Marina Mattison, all-around gymnast from Prospect Heights.
"I'm a hard worker," said Chris Kenter, all-around gymnast from Palatine.
Glen Marks has coached this trio for years, and sees in them what he sees in every athlete.
"They want to win like anybody else," he said. "They're just awesome kids to work with, their personalities are great."
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Mattison, Kenter and Tuckey are among gymnasts representing Illinois on their biggest stage yet, an opportunity they earned through their own hard work and determination.
"I know I'm going to have a lot of eyes on me, but mostly I get to represent my state and hopefully bring home Illinois a gold," Tuckey said.
"For them to get recognized for what they do and the hard work they put in, it's incredible," said Marks.