You could say Boise State senior Courtney Blackson has a flair for the dramatic.
The Broncos’ three-event specialist qualified for last year’s national championship in spectacular fashion with a perfect 10 on her Yurchenko one and a half to top the vault field at the jam-packed Los Angeles regional and ultimately finished as runner-up at nationals.
This year, she again qualified individually for nationals and snagged a sixth-place and podium finish, this time on bars. Her journey to Fort Worth this time around was even more exceptional than the last, given that it shouldn’t have happened at all after a midseason lower leg injury derailed Blackson’s game plan.
According to Boise State head coach Tina Bird, they weren’t sure Blackson would be able to return to gymnastics, period, never mind at a nationally competitive level in time for the postseason. “It was a big blow,” Bird said. “We were doing walking, strengthening, and all that stuff, but I don’t think she did her first landing until the day before we left [for the Fayetteville regional].”
Blackson recalls initially just focusing on her conditioning and being able to walk, but—with her collegiate gymnastics career wrapping up in April regardless—resumed training bars into a pit after…
