The choice came down to being a Spartan or a Buckeye for Christy Linder. In the end, she decided to go green.
MSU would be an obvious and possibly easy choice for a Michigan resident, but Linder is from Ohio.
Her parents are both die-hard Buckeye fans and wanted their daughter to stay close to home, but they left the decision up to her.
“Since we are both Buckeye fans, we both wanted her to go to Ohio State,” said Dan Linder, Christy’s father. “Christy couldn’t decide, so in the end, we finally had to call in a date and a time. We told her, ‘It doesn’t matter where you go, we won’t mind which school you choose.’”
Jan Linder, Christy’s mother, said once it was clear the decision was solely Christy’s, it was only a matter of seconds before she muttered “Michigan State.”
“I kind of wanted to get away from home,” Linder said. “A lot of my friends went to Ohio State, but I also liked the team here a lot.”
Linder grew up in Fremont, Ohio, as an only child. Competing actively in gymnastics since the third grade and constantly training in the gym, the sport was never far from her mind.
When Linder came to East Lansing, she began asserting herself as a leader the first time she stepped on the floor.
“She is a leader whether she likes it or not,” gymnastics head coach Kathie Klages said. “She is a hard worker in the gym and her gymnastics ability speaks for itself, and that proves leadership.”
As a junior, Linder shies away from the leader label.
“If anything, I would definitely say I lead by example,” Linder said.
Linder’s mother said she sees her daughter improving every time she steps on the floor.
“It’s extremely exciting seeing the scores she’s scoring,” Jan Linder said. “It’s just a thrill to watch her.”
With only two seniors on this year’s squad - one injured and the other a backup - Linder has carried the team.
She set a career-high on the vault with a 9.850 score and a career-best all-around score of 39.400 in MSU’s opening meet.
Other career bests include a 9.900 on floor and bar, and a 9.875 on beam.
Jan Linder said each year, one of her daughter’s exercises stands out above the rest.
Linder herself admits there isn’t one exercise she would call her specialty, as she posts very similar scores in all events. But asked to pick just one, the vault won.
“I do it in practice,” she said. “It’s so quick and easy to work on.”
Though she says vault is her specialty in 2002, others claim it’s the floor exercise.
“I love to see her do floor,” Jan Linder said. “That is definitely my favorite.”
Whether she is balancing on the beam, hanging from the bars, jolting off the vault or dancing on the floor, Linder has proven to be a huge asset to the Spartans.
