When Jim Round was in the 4th grade, he started going to gymnastics practice with his older brother, John. A wide-eyed Jim Round watched his brother, then a junior, twist and turn and tumble for the Evanston High School team.
The scenario wasn`t lost on Evanston coach John Brinkworth. Maybe, Brinkworth thought, he could get the little guy hooked. Maybe, just maybe, an early start would mean quite a bit to a seemingly interested young kid.
Jim Round is the one young kids watch these days. As a junior, Round is developing into one of the top all-arounders in the state.
What happened in between is the real story.
”Jim was a tag-along,” Brinkworth said. ”We more or less let him play around in the gym. It wasn`t a serious working out at first, but by the 5th grade he seemed to acquire a taste for the sport. He became a little serious, dedicated. My philosophy was to let him have a good time and get him hooked.” After a year of no-pressure gymnastics, according to Brinkworth, Round came around. So much so that Brinkworth gave him a United States Gymnastics Federation membership (”I was a Class IV,” said Round) at an age when many boys are just getting to know what the sport is all about.
”That first year, Mr. Brinkworth took me aside and said he thought I could be pretty good,” said Round. ”I was working with high school guys after school. I liked gymnastics. I just got into the sport real fast.”
Round, who by the 6th grade was working with the American Academy of Gymnastics, got out of gymnastics just as quickly. A back injury in the 7th grade changed his attitude, and his sport.
”I got kind of burned out,” Round said. ”I was sick of it. I was looking for something else.”
As a freshman at Evanston, Round turned to wrestling. He was 13-2 in the 105-pound class and enjoyed the sport. Still, Round grappled with thoughts of still rings and other things.
”I realized I still wanted to do gymnastics,” Round said. ”I figured since I put so much time into it, it would be a waste not to follow up and compete in high school. I was out long enough (about a year) to realize I should go back.”
Brinkworth, for one, was pleased that Round decided to turn around again. ”I put Jim on the varsity right away,” Brinkworth said. ”He was our No. 2 all-arounder. He had an all-around average in the 5s, which wasn`t bad for a freshman. He had a decent sophomore year and started getting some recognition.”
Round began going to the Northbrook Gymnastics Training Center between his freshman and sophomore years. Last year, he qualified for the state finals as an all-arounder. He averaged 7.79 at the state meet, not enough to contend for a medal.
”I didn`t do what I wanted to,” Round said. ”At least I got the state experience for this year.”
”He had a fairly bad meet,” Brinkworth admitted. ”But he was one of only three sophomores to qualify as an all-around (Mark Farina of Mundelein and Addison Trail`s Jack Dellert were the others). This year, he has other plans.”
The kid who once tagged along doesn`t want to be in the shadows for another season. Round knows there are some top-notch senior all-arounders, but getting to the finals and performing well are paramount to him.
”I`d like to go 9.0 all-around during the season and get to state,”
said Round, whose high average this year is 8.6. ”I think I`m capable of a good showing. It`s just a matter of hitting, of hanging on.”
Brinkworth believes this won`t be a tag-along year for Round.
”Jim hasn`t realized where he can be yet,” Brinkworth said. ”He has to work to get there. But then, he had to work all the way along. He started early and had the right attitude. That`s still in him, even after all he`s gone through. He`ll do all right.”
