Spartan gymnasts advance to state after downer at districts

Published 1:30 am Friday, February 17, 2017

Things have been a little nutty this last week for the Bainbridge High gymnasts.

By the most frustrating of fractions, the Spartans just missed qualifying for the 3A state gymnastics championships as a team, and slipped into fifth place in the 3A Super District 2 Championships Saturday at Ballard High.

The top four teams to advance from districts to state are first-place Holy Names (178), followed by Kamiakin (175.95), Lake (173.9) and Mount Spokane (170.275).

Bainbridge finished fifth at 170.125.

“It was just like a bad dream,” Spartan Coach Cindy Guy said of that slimmest of margins.

“It’s so little, it’s just mind boggling.”

Even so, the Spartans will advance five gymnasts who will compete in individual events at state: Mariko Ronan, Kareese Pippinger, Keagan Daniel, Morgan Derickx and Remi Rosencrans.

Rosencrans finished in ninth place overall in the vault with a score of 9.0.

Other Spartans who will compete at state in the vault are Ronan, Pippinger, Daniel and Derickx.

“We’re really happy we have so many vaulters,” Coach Guy said.

Rosencrans’ top 10 finish in vault at districts found her in a ninth-place tie with Abigal Winstead of Kamiakin and Reigan Kampmann of Mount Spokane.

Derickx, meanwhile, scored an 8.7, which put her in 15th place with Emma Harrington (Juanita), Maria Gallivan (Holy Names), Rylee Anderson (Mount Spokane) and Anna Littrell (Bellevue).

Pippinger was 21st (8.5); Daniel was 23rd (8.475); Ronan, 27th (8.3); and Klinkenberg, 52nd (8.0).

On beam, Bainbridge’s Derickx tied for 18th with a score of 8.725 with Mackinley Morgan of Southridge.

Alathea Pippinger was 20th, and tied with Ryanne Rogers of Kamiakin (8.675).

Ronan was 24th with a score of 8.625; Chee was 46th (8.05); Rosencrans was 64th (7.675); Brianna Bruyere was 70th (7.55).

The Spartan girls showed real improvement on the balance beam, Guy said.

“Mariko cleaned up her beam routine a little bit, and then Morgan added a new dismount. We’re feeling pretty good about beam,” the coach said.

“Alathea is looking really strong,” Guy said, and added that Pippinger has been doing about 15 routines in practice each day.

On the uneven parallel bars, Rosencrans had a final score of 9.10 and claimed seventh place.

She will be joined at state in the event by Derickx and Ronan.

Derickx finished with a score of 8.75 at districts and tied for 13th with Kaysa Lundberg of Holy Names.

Ronan scored 7.85 on bars, and tied for 36th with Madi George (Bellevue), Ava Alvord (Ballard) and Miyeko Johnson (Redmond).

Emma Chee was 43rd (7.6) and Keagan Daniel 45th (7.4) for Bainbridge.

On beam, Alathea Pippinger, Derickx and Ronan will represent BHS.

And on the floor exercise, Ronan and Rosencrans will compete in the 3A championships, which kick off late this week in Tacoma.

On floor at districts, Ronan had a 9.125 and tied for 27th place with Rylee Anderson of Mount Spokane.

Rosencrans found herself in a five-way tied for 29th in the event, scoring 9.1 along with Abigal Winstead (Kamiakin), Samantha Harper (Kamiakin), Maria Gallivan (Holy Names) and Alexis Miller (Cheney).

BHS’ Lina Klinkenberg finished in 50th with a score of 8.850; Derickx was 56th (8.675).

Guy said the Spartans’ biggest challenge at state will be on floor.

“The hardest is floor, but the rest, we’re pretty solid,” she said.

“You generally need to get a 9.3 to 9.4 to make the floor finals,” Guy said.

The level of competition at districts was especially daunting this year, with the addition of some of the top teams in the state, including squads from east of the Cascades.

The meet was like a “mini-state,” Guy said.

In Tacoma this week, however, there will be some familiar faces to the Spartans: their Metro League rivals and favorites, Holy Names.

The Spartan girls have bonded with their Cougar counterparts, and will be rooting for HNA when the Spartans aren’t competing themselves, Guy said.

Even so, the Spartans hope to do well in their individual events, with an eye toward making Friday’s finals.

“We’re hoping for the best and hoping we get some kids into the finals,” Guy said.

And earlier this week, as part of a longstanding tradition, the Spartans heading to state got a surprise gift from the coach’s husband.

Rosin bags?

No. Try bags of M&M peanuts instead.

Guy said it’s been a thing for the Spartans since 1980, when her Bainbridge team had its first gymnast qualify for state.

The candy was that Spartans’ favorite snack, Guy laughed, and the candy custom has been around ever since.