Bouncing Back Central Valley Gymnast Deals With Grief While Keeping Up Busy Schedule

Lindsay Zacher’s parents grew tired of their daughter bouncing on the furniture and flipping around the living room.

So they signed her up for gymnastics. She was 9 years old.

“I think that’s why most moms send their kids to gymnastics because that’s what they do,” said Zacher’s mother, Theresa. “We couldn’t hold her down. She was always dancing and jumping.”

The Zachers still can’t hold down their middle child, a Central Valley High School senior and one of the top-five all-around entries for the Bears gymnastics team.

Not even when Zacher’s grandfather died the day before the team’s first meet. Zacher had a close relationship with her grandpa, Joseph Albo, who was 94.

He lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba, so Zacher didn’t find out about his death until the day of the meet.

But there she was in the CV gym with her Bears uniform on, competing in the five-team meet. She even recorded the second-best routine of her career on the uneven bars that night.

Albo’s funeral was the following week on the day of CV’s second meet of the season. And Zacher was there competing. She spent the day surrounded by mourning family members and said she just tried not to cry.

“It was hard taking my mind off him,” Zacher, 18, said. “I didn’t want it to affect me so I could go out and compete the way I could. I would worry about my grandpa later, grieve later. I didn’t want that to affect my performance.”

Theresa Zacher said her three children have been taught to be team players if they’re going to be involved in athletics.

“Yes, things come along the road that hinder that,” she said. “But they need to put out 110 percent.”

Bears coach Kim Brunelle and Zacher’s teammates don’t have to worry about her effort level.

Zacher is the one who makes sure the team starts warming up on time and stays on task. She’s consistent and doesn’t get easily rattled, Brunelle said.

“She has her moods when she’ll be a jokester,” said senior Emily Roberts, who was convinced by Zacher to make the shift from club gymnastics to the high school program. “She’s hilarious but she’s always focused.”

Zacher admits that much of what comes out of her mouth is sarcasm. She doesn’t like to be serious and tries to make everyone laugh. And it’s her nature to exaggerate things.

“Instead of saying it took 30 minutes, I’ll say 7,000 years. That cracks people up,” Zacher said.

The team is No. 1 to Zacher, said senior Amy Nickerson.

“This is what she loves,” said Nickerson, one of the team captains. “She’s been doing this forever and she knows what she’s doing. She has a knack for it.”

Zacher has been on varsity for four years. She also plays the flute and piccolo in the CV marching band, serves as a cheerleader and is a member of the dance team. She owns a 3.6 grade-point average and sometimes studies all night to get things done, her mother says.

In the spring, it’s on to track. Zacher keeps her daily planner with her at all times.

“I get a week break between gymnastics and track,” she said. “That’s enough. I get bored and I’m ready to go again. I like to stay busy.”

Not much has changed since her early days bouncing around the living room.

“But now if I tried that stuff, I’d probably hurt myself,” Zacher said. “Back then, I didn’t care and I just got back up and tried it again.”