HAVING A BALL
Karli Mercer is no stranger to traveling for gymnastics competitions.
So it should come as no surprise that with the biggest decision of her life, she decided to take her skills to Indiana, where she will be competing collegiately for Ball State University.
The soon-to-be Central Columbia graduate got a full-ride scholarship to compete for the Cardinals. It didn't come easy, though, as Mercer went through a tedious years-long process that included reaching out to individual programs via email, handing out brochures that are similar to resumes, attending gymnastics camps on campuses and consistently updating her social media pages for recruiters to see her.
The biggest obstacle for Mercer was that her competitive season coincided with the NCAA's, so attention was hard to get.
Mercer reached out to nearly 20 schools at all levels but knew she wanted to compete at a Division I school. When she was a reserve at nationals in Arizona in 2022, she said some recruiters got to see her train. Otherwise, the closest interaction she got was with her coach Lori Dexter at Northeast Gymnastics Academy, Wilkes-Barre, handing out papers that included Mercer's GPA, gymnastics skills and competition scores.
"You do a lot of emailing and that's where most of the recruiting is done," Mercer said. "Most Division II or Division III schools will come to the competitions, and we reached out to about five there. I knew I wanted to go Division I, though, because I felt I could compete at that level. I'm really competitive."
Her email got the attention of Ball State, which is on the rise in gymnastics. The Cardinals have captured the MAC regular season championship in back-to-back seasons and could use Mercer's skillset to gain more success at regionals.
Once she got their attention, an assistant coach worked out a time to come to one of her practices and see her in action. Even though Mercer kept telling herself it was just another practice, she was still nervous and didn't want to mess anything up.
Her fears were unfounded, as she was offered a full ride to Ball State on the spot.
"I was super excited because that made my decision at the time," Mercer said, recalling she had a big smile at the moment. "I had other offers at the time, but that really solidified where I was going, and quite honestly made me the most proud of myself and what I had achieved."
Cardinals' coaching staff plans on leaving Mercer as an all-around gymnast, allowing her to compete in all four events — vault, floor, beam and bar. That's the way Mercer prefers it, saying an injury, such as one to the ankle, could hurt an athlete's chances when specializing in an event.
Now that the college search is over, her goals have shifted drastically to giving the Cardinals everything she has for the next four years.
"Most people collegiately know there isn't anything after. I want to stay healthy, compete all four years and get a degree out of it," said Mercer, who intends on majoring in business administration. "After that, I'm thinking of continuing my education and getting my master's in hospital administration."
Long road here
Mercer's dream took a lifetime to get to. She began taking gymnastics classes at 3 years old and competing along the East Coast when she was seven. Her passion started in Bloomsburg, and once Scorpions Gymnastics in Bloomsburg shut down, she knew she wanted to continue her sport. It was just a matter of where.
Once she decided to go to Northeast Gymnastics, she didn't let up on her dreams. To this day, she is still seen practicing for nearly four hours a day, six days a week.
"There is always room for improvement and can learn a new skill," Mercer said. "There was never, once you learn this you're done. There's always room to perfect things and it's a difficult sport and I like things that challenge me."
Those obstacles have placed her in over 50 competitions. She has placed in the top 10 in all but eight of them, winning six. Despite her success looking like it comes naturally, don't think that she doesn't get nervous. But once she starts competing, Mercer, whose favorite event is the beam, has Dexter's advice consistently playing in her head, driving her to success.
"My coach always says, 'Trust your training. You've been this for so long. It's what you do every day and you know what you're doing. It's just another day in the gym,'" Mercer said.
If she keeps that advice with her at the next level, expect her to soar with the Cardinals.
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