‘You can see she is comfortable in her own skin’: MaKenna Merrell-Giles comes into her own with the Utes

The music normally chosen for balance beam routines is quiet, slow music intended to help gymnasts calm down for their performances.

But MaKenna Merrell-Giles? She is a little different. The Utah junior is going louder and a bit brash this season, choosing to perform her routine to Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising.”

The peppy song, released in 1969, seems like an odd choice on so many fronts. But it fits Merrell-Giles’ personality. It is a fun song but not too flashy.

The Pleasant Grove native has been a significant contributor to Utah’s program since she was a freshman.

She has hit 83 of 88 routines during her Utes career, helping her become a three-time NCAA All-American and two-time All-Pac-12 Conference champion.

But while others gain attention with their high-flying gymnastics (MyKayla Skinner), competitive attitude (Tiffani Lewis) or elegant lines (Kari Lee), Merrell-Giles has been more in the background for her blue-collar attitude.

Her beam music is an indication she is ready to break out a bit and show off her light attitude this season.

“I want to have fun and not put pressure on myself,” she said. “When I came in as a freshman, I put a lot on myself and thought I had to carry the team on my shoulders. But I’ve learned if I am having fun, the team is having fun. I want to do the best for the team I can do.”

Merrell-Giles’ growth as a gymnast not only has impressed coach Megan Marsden but also made her happy. The Utes thought during recruiting Merrell-Giles that they could help her grow as a gymnast, but they just weren’t sure how much.

“That is one thing we pride ourselves on — we can help gymnasts build confidence, clean up gymnastics and make some slight improvements in technique,” Marsden said. “She has taken all of that in in the first two years and is now beginning to see the results.”

Merrill-Giles started the season tying Skinner for the all-around win against BYU with a 39.475, then followed that effort with a 39.45 to place third in Utah’s quad meet. She set a career high with a 39.6 against Oregon State.

Marsden noted that Merrell-Giles’ growth has helped her confidence, which in turn has led to more development and success.

“You can see she is comfortable in her own skin, and sometimes it takes a while for that,” she said. “Athletes have to have life experiences that make them feel more confident about themselves, and she has become a well-rounded person and as she has, you can see her posture open up and the way she carries herself.”

Perhaps that confidence is one of the reasons Merrell-Giles chose “Bad Moon Rising” as her beam song. It isn’t exactly a tune one can hide behind as it blares throughout arenas. She settled on the CCR song as her beam song after she heard it from an unlikely source — sophomore Missy Reinstadtler’s music library.

“She likes older music, too, and I got that song in my head,” Merrell-Giles said. “It’s upbeat, fun and happy and easy to sing along, too, so it fits.”

It fits now, more than ever.