The last name Kehr is synonymous with Mundelein girls gymnastics.
Between 2012-2015, McKenzie Kehr competed in the state meet four straight years. This winter, Meagan Kehr is vying to make a state appearance of her own.
The younger sister of McKenzie Kehr, Meagan Kehr is Mundelein’s top gymnast. Her all-around performances helped Mundelein post the ninth-best team score in the state this season (144.25). At the Mundelein Regional on Feb. 4, Meagan Kehr won all five events (floor, beam, vault, parallel bars, all-around).
“Meagan has the skills. It’s consistency. At [the North Suburban Conference meet] and regionals, she showed she can be consistent,” Mundelein coach Jamie Brongiel said. “She’s always striving to do better than what she’s done.”
Much has changed with Meagan Kehr’s gymnastics career in one year.
In February of 2015, she sat in the stands watching her sister compete with Mundelein in a sectional meet. A junior at Wauconda, Meagan Kehr had lost touch with gymnastics. She quit the sport after sixth grade to focus on volleyball. While at Wauconda, she competed in cheerleading.
“I saw [McKenzie Kehr] and her friends and a lot of my friends at sectionals. They asked me, ‘Do you miss it?’ I went home that night really upset,” Meagan Kehr said.
Soon after, Meagan Kehr went out to dinner with her mom, stepfather and sister. They discussed the topic that had been on Meagan Kehr’s mind since the sectional meet.
She was thinking about taking up gymnastics again. But because Wauconda does not have a team, she’d have to transfer to Mundelein and compete for the Mustangs.
“My sister said, ‘You should have transferred this year so we’d be on the same team!’ That made me laugh,” Meagan Kehr said. She “said, ‘Go with what you want and not regret going back into it.’ She and my mom and stepdad were really supportive.”
Meagan Kehr resumed her gymnastics career at the United States Gymnastics Training Center in Lake Zurich. There, she built up her technical base and strength.
By the time workouts for the high school season began in November, she was ready.
A victory in the all-around at the Lake County Invitational on Jan. 16 imbued Meagan Kehr with confidence. She has an intense personality on the mat, something that differs from McKenzie Kehr.
Meagan Kehr “shows her emotions more. She’s a different personality than McKenzie,” Brongiel said.
They may have differing dispositions, but they share an intensity during competition. Brongiel cites a sequence during the Feb. 4 regional meet as an example of Meagan Kehr’s laser-like focus.
“We had a gymnast fall off the beam twice. Meagan got on there and just stuck her beam routine,” Brongiel said. “In that kind of pressure, everyone is looking at you.”
The sisters are in regular contact. A few times during the season, Meagan Kehr has sent videos of her competitions to McKenzie Kehr, now a freshman at Illinois. Meagan Kehr said her sister plans to be in the audience at the state meet Feb. 19 and 20.
“A lot of people recognize me as far as gymnastics goes because of the last name. It’s definitely not a negative. I love my sister to death,” Meagan Kehr said. “I’m excited for her to see how far I’ve come.”
Jon J. Kerr is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter: @prepspioneer
