Staff Photo by Vanessa Schultze: Martin County Area Magic's Lillie Schultz performs her floor routine during Tuesday night's matchup against Waseca at the Fairmont Armory.

FAIRMONT – Martin County Area Magic’s Lillie Schultz’s varsity gymnastics career didn’t start off on the right foot. In fact, it started out on her face.

Schultz still remembers the competition to a tee. It was her seventh-grade season in a head-to-head matchup against Blue Earth Area. On Schultz’s first of two vault attempts, she did everything right to set up a high score: an acknowledgement of the judges, a straight sprint across the floor with a strong push-off from the elevated surface.

However, Schultz’s tsukahara attempt proved to be futile, with the gymnast missing her footing on the landing before falling forward on the mat.

“When you have an embarrassing moment right off the bat, you can only go up from there,” Schultz said with a smile.

She followed this mantra on the second and final attempt of the apparatus. Schultz executed her routine this time, earning a mark of 8.55 that propelled her to a fourth place in All-Around that evening with a score of 30.425.

Schultz has since elevated her success every season with the Magic. Her commitment to practice and off-season workouts has strengthened the talent she has had since an early age, leading the sophomore to become a state qualifier in 2025 while ranking among the most talented individuals in southern Minnesota.

Starting young

The genesis of Schultz’s gymnastics career began around the age of three at the Mankato Area Gymnastics School. Her mother will be the first to mention Schultz waving goodbye after just her second Parent-Tot class.

That early love for the sport only grew after Schultz watched the 2012 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team, known as the Fierce Five. Schultz still remembers pointing at the television as the team captured gold in London, already convinced she had found her passion.

“I watched Aly Raisman and have basically been here ever since,” Schultz said.

A relationship between her and current MCA head coach Annie Post began years later during Schultz’s introduction to Mini-Magic Gymnastics. Post took over the program when Schultz was seven, and the two have been attached at the hip since.

“Lillie was in the Mini-Magic program one year before I started, so I can say she’s been with me the entire time,” Post said. “It’s been really fun, and there have been so many memories that I don’t like to think about it because I tear up.”

Over the years, Post has witnessed several moments that revealed Schultz’s potential in the sport–from a Pirates of the Caribbean-themed floor routine that Post recalls as beautifully executed to Schultz performing giants on the low bar, all signs pointing toward a steady climb to success.

A breakout season

Things came together during Schultz’s third year on varsity, competing as a freshman. At the 2025 Section 2A Championship, Schultz had the opportunity to secure a bid to compete in the upcoming Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) Class A Individual Championships.

Schultz received the nod in beam and bars after notching second and fourth-place finishes with scores of 9.325 and 8.55, respectively. She finished the meet placing fifth in All-Around with a mark of 35.875.

“I walked into that meet knowing that if I hit, I could go,” Schultz said. “I was just composing it and doing what I needed to do and have done already throughout the season.

The trip to the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul was an eye-opening experience for Schultz. Not only was she vying for top placements in two apparatuses, but was also just one of four freshmen competing on beam and bars.

Nerves began to settle after finally getting to her first routine of bars after waiting through five rotations.

Schultz’s confidence glowed immediately after this performance, sticking the landing to earn a score of 8.1875, good for 29th. She finished her day one rotation later on the balance beam, notching a 38th-place finish with her mark of 8.3625. This escapade proved to Schultz that she could go toe-to-toe with the best gymnasts Minnesota had to offer.

“It was a lot of fun,” Schultz said, reflecting. “It was great to meet everyone from the teams around us. To get the experience of it all, and to just be there on the big stage was definitely a great experience.”

Staying the course

Post says one of the reasons Schultz has developed so rapidly is her off-season training. This past spring and summer have been no exception for Schultz, who has hit the gym even harder coming off her appearance at state. Her newly added front full, bail and pike suk have all worked seamlessly into their respective routines.

This has translated to immediate success in meets.

Schultz has earned first-place All-Around finishes in all but two competitions this season, getting second in a dual match against Blue Earth Area and the 2026 Jackson County Central Sweetheart Invitational. She has also broken season bests in two of MCA’s past three competitions with scores of 36.35 and 36.475.

“Leaders can lead with their voice, but also lead by example, and I feel like Lillie is a perfect person for that. She works hard every time she comes into the gym,” Post said. “Some people feel like they don’t need to work in the off-season, and that’s just not a choice when you want to get better. …All year round, she is doing something to get better.”