Lillie Cote didn’t get into gymnastics as early as most, instead she started out in all star cheer at about 2 years old.

It wasn’t until 9 or 10 when Cote finally gave gymnastics a shot. Her younger brother started gymnastics a lot younger than Cote did, and while she was at his practices, she would jump in between bars or flip off the beams.

Finally, some coaches asked Cote to join gymnastics, and when she did, it took some getting used to.

“I was such a wimp,” Cote said. “I was the biggest wimp.”

She eventually got used to it, and on Tuesday night, Cote was the lone senior on the Seymour gymnastics team that was honored prior to the Owls’ meet against Franklin.

When asked if it felt like it should be her senior night already, Cote said her career as an Owl has felt super quick.

Cote had a picture board on Tuesday with tons of photos of her and her teammates over the years at Seymour.

“It’s been super good,” Cote said of her time as an Owl. “I like the small teams so it’s nice that Seymour has a small team. It’s nice to get to know the girls on a personal level. It’s more like a family.”

Some of her favorite memories don’t necessarily include anything on the bars, beam, vault or floor, but rather moments with her teammates.

“Probably bus rides to and from, always funny, doing hair, just chilling,” Cote said.

Her favorite event in gymnastics has been bars, but that hasn’t always been the case.

“Bars has been such a struggle, but lately these past two years, it’s gotten super easy for me,” she said. “It’s been nice to have something come natural.”

Cote’s floor routine has also been stellar for her this season.

When she was a freshman and sophomore, Cote used to do all four events, but as she got older, she chose to take out the beam. She would get mental blocks prior to doing the beam and it stressed her out too much.

“Since I haven’t been doing beam, I’ve been so less stressed,” Cote said.

The mental side of gymnastics is just as important as the physical side.

“I feel like gymnastics is more mental than physical,” Cote said. “When you watch gymnastics, you can watch someone break their arm or ankle, and you think ‘Oh my gosh will that happen to me?’ You just have to get back up there and do it. You just gotta push yourself.”

In addition to doing gymnastics, Cote has also stuck with all star cheer her whole life since she was younger. The seasons go on at the same time, and Cote usually wraps up her gymnastics practice every week and goes next door to her cheer practice.

All-star cheer, Cote explained, is nothing like the school cheer most people are familiar with.

“Definitely not like school cheer,” she said. “You have a set routine for two minutes and thirty seconds, no talking at all, you’re going in between the floors, you’re tumbling, you’re stunting, you’re dancing, it’s super chaotic and you’re going as hard as you can for two minutes and thirty seconds.”

Cote and her all star cheer team have been invited to Worlds, which will take place in Orlando during March.

It will be Cote’s first trip to Worlds.

“I’m super excited because it’s my senior year and my last go around,” she said.

When Cote graduates from Seymour High School, her plans are to major in nursing and be on a college cheer team, but her destination has yet to be decided. Cote recently got an offer to be on Ball State’s cheer squad, and she also got accepted into Ball State’s nursing program as well.

She originally wanted to go to a school in Georgia, but Cote is leaning toward staying closer to home.

Cote hasn’t always wanted to be a nurse either, but lately she has been working as a certified nursing assistant at difference nursing homes.

“The love of taking care of people I’ve really liked,” she said.

But first, Cote is still soaking in her final gymnastics season at Seymour. On Tuesday, Cote said her mom would be more emotional than her during the Senior Night festivities.

Cote has had the support of her family throughout her whole career, especially her brother, who she said she would spot for when they were younger in their home gym.

“He’s probably my biggest supporter,” she said. “He’s always encouraging me on my skills and I’m encouraging him on his skills.”

Sectionals will take place this Saturday at Columbus East, and Cote has never made it out of sectionals before, which is top three teams and top six individuals in each event, but she feels like this year could be different.

“Sectionals can go either way. I feel like this meet could go different it just depends on how they’re scoring,” she said. “I’m just hoping everyone has a positive attitude and does their best. As long as we all have fun, that’s what I’m about. I feel like everyone has really stepped up, and we all encourage each other.”

When asked what her goals are the rest of the season, Cote kept it simple: stay positive. She knows her hard work over the years has put her in a position to succeed.

“Just stay positive and just know that I tried really hard all my life for this and I know that I made my parents proud.”