Editor’s note • This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.
Utah gymnast Cammy Hall has a few goals for her vaulting. Get some good height, good distance, stick the landing, and yes, breathe, especially if she is going to celebrate her effort.
Hall gave her teammates and fans a scare when she fainted after vaulting against Arizona State last week.
She was checked out by doctors as a precaution but everything came back normal, she was just given the advice to remember to keep that excitement of hers in check a bit.
“I just decided to take a little nap,” she joked of the incident.
Up Next
No. 2 Utah vs. No. 19 Stanford
Saturday, 2 p.m.
Huntsman Center
Livestream/105.5 FM radio
Hall’s vault earned her a 9.8 in the win over the Sun Devils. The effort was indicative not only of her talents, but also the enthusiasm she brings to the team.
She had another near-fainting incident against Washington last season after a similar celebration.
“I am passionate about the sport,” Hall said. “I am excited about it and I know the team feeds off it. It’s a part of who I am.”
To be honest, the senior hasn’t had too much to celebrate until recently. Hall missed her freshman year with a torn Achilles tendon, an injury that requires a lengthy rehabilitation period.
She recovered to be a starter on the vault in her sophomore year and scored a season best 9.925 against Oregon State, but it wasn’t really until last year that she felt fully recovered from her injury.
She earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention on the vault in 2021 with a season high of 9.9 and two event wins.
Those consistent efforts are something she not only wanted to bring to the 2022 season, but use as a step to maybe an even better 2022 campaign.
“Getting injured my freshman year made me a big part of who I am,” she said. “I’m not going to lie, it was hard to just watch, but the comeback has made everything that much better.”
Now that Hall is 100 percent, Utah coach Tom Farden doesn’t want to dampen her enthusiasm at all, if anything, he wants her to keep using it to the team’s advantage, even if he has to remind her to breathe.
“Her energy and passion and contagious laugh light up the room,” he said. “Several of our kids are tightly wound Type A personalities and she brings a levity to things. She does a good job of enjoying the moment. She showed a lot of dedication and determination to get back to where she was before her injury and that perseverance is paying off now.”
Hall, who hails from Gainesville, Va., is a crucial part of a vaulting lineup that has thoughts of big improvements in 2022.
The Utes were consistent on the vault last season when they finished ranked seventh nationally, but expect more this season sine they have more vaults worth 10.0.
Hall’s vault is one of those.
“She has worked really hard on the mechanics and is in her best form right now,” Farden said. “She attacks her vault drills and you can see the results.”
Since she only competes one event, Hall can use the rest of her focus in meets to cheer on her teammates, viewing the opportunity as a leadership role.
On Saturday, she and the Utes will be focusing on Stanford and cleaning up the mistakes that led to an inconsistent showing against Arizona State.
“We have to work on the details and getting better,” she said. “We have to go in and handle our business.”