“I joined over 10 years ago and my friends thought I wouldn’t really stick to it, because I really have not stuck to any other sport,” the Warrnambool Springers gymnast said.

“But I’m still doing it and it’s such a unique sport and I really loved it, so I kept going.”

Cook is the first gymnast from Warrnambool Springers Inc. to qualify for a state team after she progressed through three selection trial competitions. She secured one of eight places in the Gymnastics Victorian all-round team for the ​event to be held between May 21 and June 3.

The 16-year-old earned selection in the team after she won the vault at the third selection trial competition.

Cook said the vault, which is her strongest apparatus, provided her with a rewarding challenge.

“It’s a hard apparatus and not many people are great at it,” she said. “It's a big challenge and it's not like any other apparatus in gymnastics so it's a fun one to have a go at.”

Cook’s coach Tessa Dayman said it was a rare achievement for the club to have a gymnast in the team.

“It’s amazing, we’ve never had a gymnasts from the Warrnambool Springers in the last 20 years do that,” she said. “It was a good opportunity that she hit her vault and hit her other apparatus and showed the selection team that she was up there.

“She is a strong gymnast and dedicated gymnast, her tumbling and her floor is quite strong, but her vault is her best apparatus and where she excels the most.”

Cook is excited to get out onto the floor of Hisense Arena in front of a big crowd.

“It's going to be a bit scary, but I know it’ll be good and it’ll be a new experience that I get to try out,” she said.