Sammie Hardy ’11
Staff Writer
On Feb. 27, the Staples Gymnastics team ended its season at the State Championships by finishing sixth in the overall competition with a score of 119.
“Our team did alright,” captain Zoë Heller ’11 said. “There’s always going to be that comparing factor and how last year we were placed second and this year we came in sixth but we were seeded seventh, but we were able to step up in some way.”
Another captain, Kara Tricarico ’11, stated she was also pleased with the final placement of the team because it was “better than we were expecting.”
Leading up to the meet this past Saturday, the team worked hard throughout the week on improving the techniques they have not mastered at past meets. Considering their inexperience in competition, most of the gymnasts found themselves accomplished.
“I feel I did well this meet,” Michelle Elsas ’12 said. “I am very happy with my scores because it is States and I was expecting the judges to be harder than usual. I focused on what I was doing and keeping good form which helped throughout.”
With the gymnasts’ best record of a 127.7, the future seniors set the goals high for next year.
“Although last year was a 137, this year we lost a good amount of seniors,” Heller said. “Also, we have a lot of incoming freshmen that are interested, which will boost the team in numbers. We all are going to work on self motivation to be really strong for next season.”
For the incoming upperclassmen, however, their goals are set more individually and on skill building.
“I am really excited for next season because I will be working hard during the off–season to obtain new skills,” Elsas said. “I will be able to incorporate them into my routines next year also. I am excited to see how the team grows and with the help of the incoming freshman we should improve.”
With the season coming to a close most athletes are excited to work on their skills and prepare for the future competitions in store. The girls are excited to see how the team will improve.
“I am happy with the way the season went,” Tricarico said. “We did a lot better than we thought we would considering the loss of seniors from last year.”