In summer 2012, Kirsten Peterman and her family were driving back to their home in Cambridge, Ontario, after vacationing in a few states on the East Coast. They only got about halfway there.
“My parents said, ‘Why don’t you just go?'” Peterman remembers.
Peterman had stopped by College Park earlier in the trip, and Maryland gymnastics coach Brett Nelligan took her on a campus tour. Nelligan also told Peterman, who had just finished eighth grade, about a camp the gymnastics team was holding later in the week and said she was welcome to attend.
After initially declining, the family turned around and dropped Peterman off. Peterman committed to Maryland shortly after, and she’ll be joining the Terps in the fall.
But for now, Peterman has her sights set on going to Rio de Janeiro in August. She received an invitation Tuesday to Canada’s Olympic Trials at the end of June, the last event before her home country chooses its squad to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
“It’s just huge to be able to say that I’m in the mix to be chosen for an Olympic team,” Peterman said.
Peterman has been a part of Canada’s senior national team since 2014, and she admits her first competition with the team was “kind of nerve-wracking.” She’s settled down in the years since.
“Her experience is going to be an incredible asset to have as a freshman,” Nelligan said. “She’s been on the national and international levels and handled herself so well.”
Peterman showed her poise two weekends ago en route to a ninth-place finish in the All-Around at the Canadian Championships.
The performance helped make her case for a spot at Olympic Trials.
A few years earlier, Peterman’s focus was on getting the attention of college coaches.
College gymnastics does not exist in Canada, so Peterman said Canadian gymnasts often have to take the initiative of reaching out to various programs.
They also must do so at any early age because of NCAA regulations, which prohibit coaches from initiating calls to high school gymnasts until Sept. 1 of their junior year.
Nelligan was one of the only coaches to reply to her emails, but he admits Peterman found Maryland moreso than the Terps found her. Both parties impressed each other at the camp, and Peterman has never doubted her decision.
She hasn’t paid much attention to the colleges that have contacted her since.
The incoming freshman’s early commitment to Maryland has also given her ample time to get to know her future teammates, some of whom watched a live stream of the Canadian Championships. Peterman said it “feels like we’re a family already.”
Nelligan doesn’t want Peterman not to look too far ahead, especially ahead of the Olympic Trials.
“I just told her the other day what an honor it is to have that opportunity,” Nelligan said. “I told her to make sure to take a minute to enjoy it and take it all in. I think some people don’t realize what an accomplishment it is.”
Peterman, though, doesn’t seem likely to overlook what’s in front of her.
“I’d trained with some Olympians but never really thought I could get there myself,” Peterman said. “When I was younger, I never thought any of this was possible. It’s definitely a proud moment.”
