Kai Tindall, 2010 graduate of Mountlake Terrace High School, brought home a gold medal and national title earlier this month by winning a share of the floor exercise in the individual event competition of the 2014 USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships.
Tindall, a member of the Seattle Pacific University gymnastics team, earned a 9.875 score for her floor exercise routine at the national championships held at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, April 11-13. Her mark tied with three other competitors at the event; all four gymnasts were presented with gold medals.
“I knew going in that the score to beat was 9.875,” said Tindall, an SPU senior. “I got off the floor and it was so great to finish on the event that I love and to do one of my best routines ever.”
Tindall’s individual floor event championship wasn’t the only individual title performance for the Falcons as sophomore teammate Maria Hundley won the other three individual events: vault, balance beam and uneven parallel bars. It was the first time ever the school had captured multiple individual championships in gymnastics in the same season.
Tindall’s individual gold medal came a day after she helped the SPU women’s gymnastics squad place third in the national team championships. She again scored a 9.875 in the floor exercise, her career high, during the team competition.
Seattle Pacific’s third-place team finish was the best at the USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships since a second place effort in 2009. SPU has competed at the national championships 32 times over the past 33 years, and has won the national title three times, in 1986, 1992 and 1997.
The SPU women’s gymnastics team is coached by Kai’s mother and Brier resident Laurel Tindall, who has led the school’s program for 39 years.
2014 USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships, individual floor exercise scores
Kai Tindall, Seattle Pacific University, 9.875
Melissa Doucette, Bridgeport University, 9.875
Caitlin Perry, Bridgeport University, 9.875
Spencer Jones, Texas Woman’s, 9.875
(all tied for first place)
Way to go from a SPU Alum!