Love of flips come with twists and turns for Big Lake gymnast Britney Krumrei

Explaining Britney Krumrei's passion for gymnastics, which began some 13 years ago, is easy once her motivation is known.

She simply loves to flip in the air.

Krumrei, a senior, leads Big Lake, the state's top-ranked Class 1A team, into the gymnastics state meet, which runs Friday and Saturday at Roy Wilkins Auditorium at St. Paul's RiverCentre.

"I just love flipping," said Krumrei, who gets further into flips as a state-meet-level diver. "Ever since I first started in gymnastics. It just sparked something in me."

Krumrei — a self-motivated sort who, her father, Paul, said has never been told "to get up and practice" — leaned on that passion to get through an injury that not only cost her in the state tournament as seventh-grader but could have derailed her entire gymnastics career.

She was on the balance beam when a back injury thought to have been alleviated by a chiropractor flared up. Wincing in pain and with tears streaming down her face, Krumrei attempted to complete her routine but collapsed upon landing her dismount, screaming in pain.

"I knew with that scream, it was bad, really bad, because she never let pain get to her," her father said.

"It hurt worse than ever as soon as I landed," Britney said. "I couldn't get back up. I was just bobbing, up and down. I'd never experienced pain like that before."

A trip to a hospital revealed fractures in two of her vertebrae. Three months of time off from gymnastics, coupled with the resilience of her then-12-year-old body, and the fractured back was sufficiently healed.

Her first move? She dived right back in, figuratively and literally, getting back to gymnastics and taking up diving. "I couldn't wait to get back," she said. "I knew I'd be fine. I just wanted to get back and compete."

Krumrei's path since has been largely successful. She helped Big Lake to the Class 1A team championship in 2019 and finished third in the all-around competition last year. She took fifth in the 1-meter diving competition at the Class 1A state meet last fall.

"Diving took me a little while to get used to it, but it came naturally to me," she said. "And it's not as impactful."

Her time off from gymnastics six years ago enhanced her love of the sport, and it turned her into a troubadour. With so much time on her hands, she picked up the guitar she'd had but never used and taught herself to play.

"It was just sitting there in my room, and I'd never touched it before," she said. "So I'm kind of grateful for breaking my back."

The back no longer gives her any problems, although adapting to the injury has resulted in periodic hip issues. Nothing she can't handle. She has her laser-beam gaze set on winning an all-around championship this year.

"I didn't really think about it until getting third last year," she said. "That's my goal."

She paused to consider some psychology.

"Really, I just want to finish top six," she said. "I never tell myself I need to finish first."

Roy Wilkins Auditorium

Friday / Team competition

Class 2A: Owatonna (Section 1), New Prague (2), East Ridge (3), Stillwater (4), St. Michael-Albertville (5), Hopkins (6), Anoka (7), St. Cloud (8), 11 a.m.

Class 1A: Winona (1), Mankato West (2), Worthington (3), Mahtomedi (4), Watertown-Mayer (5), New London-Spicer (6), Big Lake (7), Detroit Lakes (8), 6 p.m.

Saturday / Individual competition

Class 2A: 11 a.m. The defending all-around champion is Taylar Schaefer of St. Cloud.

Class 1A: 6 p.m. The defending all-around champion is Reagan Kelley of Watertown-Mayer/Mound Westonka.