Seniors begin new era of Spartan gymnastics

Published 11:29 am Friday, January 29, 2010

As the Spartans hold their last home meet of the season tonight, the team will also be establishing a new idenitity for Bainbridge gymnastics.

After snapping a 115-meet win streak with a loss to Holy Names Jan. 8, the team’s six seniors have been focusing on winning the team’s ninth Metro League title in 10 years.

“It was a shock, but it really takes the pressure off,” captain Katie Mathews said. “So it’s like 10 more years, a new legacy – that’s something to work toward.”

Tonight’s matchup against Kingston and North Kitsap is a familiar one for the Spartans. In the teams’ last meeting Jan. 16, Bainbridge took first place with 156.35 points to North Kitsap’s 142.35 and Kingston’s 115.9.

Since the Holy Names meet, the Spartans have been adding difficulty and new skills to their routines.

“I think everyone is going to test things out to see how things go for this week,” senior Eva Fazzini said. “I think it’s kind of like a practice for us for the pressure.”

The meet will also determine Bainbridge’s six varsity spots for next week’s Metro League Championship.

“How you score at that meet determines how you compete at Metro,” senior Laura Bricklin said. “There’s only six varisty and six JV.”

Bricklin, who joined the team as a sophomore, enjoys mentoring the program’s younger gymnasts.

“It’s different being the oldest, I don’t have anyone to look up to,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot just by being in charge of just these younger girls. It’s nice seeing them progress I really enjoy that. I coach younger girls, and I love seeing them get better. So when it’s high school girls, I can really communicate and talk to them and see how they’re doing better- I love that.”

In addition to Mathews, the team captain, Bricklin, Fazzini, and Talia Weiss lead as co-captains.

“This year is really great, I feel like everyone is really close. When we’re together we’re always having a great time,” senior Mackenzie Teddy said.

The seniors have also created team unity that spans across the two squads.

“I feel definitely more connected to the girls this year,” senior Haley Heater said. “The past years I’ve been on the team there’s a division between JV and varsity, but this year I feel really connected to both.”

Heater, who didn’t begin gymnastics until her freshman year, has served as JV captain at several meets.

“It allows for girls who are in that in-between state to work really hard to get better,” Heater said. “I’m on JV but sometimes I can go with the varsity girls. Lots of girls are like that. If you have that idea that you can work harder and you can achieve it, than it will be a lot better for everyone.”

While many of the girls have competed gymnastics since elementary school, the senior day meet also means the beginning of the end.

“For a lot of us, I don’t think any of us are going to do gym outside of high school, and we’ve all done it since we were kids,” Fazzini said. “It’ll be our final meet.”

The seniors will pass the leadership duties onto juniors Tessa Leachman, Adrienne Pallay and Anne Schwartz.

“It’s in good hands – they know what they’re coming into,” Bricklin said. “I don’t think the program changes that much from year to year. They know what to expect and I think they’re qualified.”

Captains, who are expected to run portions of team practices, need to keep the group focused, Mathews said.

“I think probably two of them are going to be the captains next year,” Mathews said. “It’s important to highlight how important it is to work every day as hard as you can, and to push the whole team and not just yourself.”

While the Spartans must defeat Holy Names in the Metro League Championship to make it to districts, the team is approaching its competitions with a different outlook.

“I would say just have fun with it,” Weiss said. “Now that our streak is ended, we don’t have to be so focused on winning every single time. They can focus more on having a good time.”