Gymnast Zimmerman Has His Own Style

Doran Zimmerman is always looking for a little extra flair.

Whether it is playing the viola, cooking for his catering company or adding a new trick to his high bar routine for the Deerfield-Highland Park gymnastics team, .

“I like doing different things,” Zimmerman, who also wrestled at 152 pounds for Deerfield this year, said. “Cooking is a hobby of mine. My specialty is homemade pasta.”

Zimmerman cooks so well that he began his own catering business. His love for cooking now has him serving small parties.

“It all started when I was in boy scouts,” Zimmerman said. “I would forage for wild onions and throw them into breakfast.”

Zimmerman also has redeveloped a love for gymnastics. He competed as younger child for seven years at Buffalo Grove Gymnastics, but gave it up when he went to middle school. When he was a freshman at Deerfield, spotted Zimmerman in his physical education class and asked him to come out for the team.

“He showed a lot of ability, so I asked him to come out for the team,” Foerch said. The coach was hired away from Mundelein after winning three state titles to help restart the Warrior-Giants’ program. He also coaches diving.

“He is a high energy kid and a very hard worker. During floor workouts, each kid would take one pass down the floor and then get back in line. Doran does three or four passes before he gets off the floor.”

“The program here was still new and that interested me,” Zimmerman said.  “I wanted to be a part of it.”

Foerch liked Zimmerman’s work so much that he made him a co-captain, along with Cody Shepard. Zimmerman has competed in the all-around, which has him competing in all six events.

“It’s kind of like cooking,” Zimmerman said. “You get to mix things up a lot and work on new things.”

Zimmerman will take that approach into Thursday night’s Central Suburban Conference meet at Niles West in Skokie. The senior will then continue to hone his skills for the Illinois High School sectionals May 5 in Palatine with the hopes in qualifying for the State Finals May 12 at Lincoln-Way East High School in Frankfort.

Zimmerman hopes all that extra hard work will help him return to the State Meet. Last year as a junior, Zimmerman qualified for the state meet on the floor. This year according to Foerch, he has a strong possibility of qualifying on the vault and high bar and an outside shot at parallel bars.

“I have been working very hard on my high bar,” Zimmerman said. His highest score on the event is a 7.10 and the score needed to qualify as an at large gymnast is usually a 7.25. “Coach Foerch and I have been adding some new skills. I am trying to stay clean and add some flair.”

Zimmerman will take his style and his enthusiasm to the University of Vermont next year where he plans to major in Environmental Studies and Music.

“I am definitely looking forward to being a Catamount,” said Zimmerman of the mascot of Vermont that can appear in many different varieties of wild cats. “Even if it exists or not.”

And the way Zimmerman approaches life, he is sure to figure it out.  And adding in a little panache, of course.