The end of an era took place at the Tacoma Dome’s Exhibition Hall Saturday afternoon during the Class 4A state gymnastics meet.
Kentlake senior Lynnsey Thielman put the final touches on what has been a magnificent prep career while coach Marla Boyd, who has guided the Falcons through the last five seasons, enjoyed her final state meet.
The two were all smiles after Saturday’s championship round. Thielman, the lone gymnast from the area to advance to the second day, took sixth overall on the balance beam, delivering a score of 8.525.
“I’m happy with how I did,” said Thielman, who was making her fourth straight state meet appearance. “I’ve been having a rough week in the event, so I went in relaxed.”
The top eight individuals in each event at state advance to Championship Saturday. Thielman barely made the cut, taking eighth on Friday with a score of 9.1 to move on.
“Finally, everything just came together,” she said of her opening-round performance. “I had a solid routine. Practices had not been going well this past week and it seemed like nothing was going right.”
In the finals, Thielman fell from the beam once, but otherwise delivered a rock-solid performance.
“She really just wanted to come here, enjoy the experience and have fun,” Boyd said. “I think she did well.”
The meet was Boyd’s last.
“It’s time for other things,” said Boyd, who pointed to the 2009 season as the biggest highlight of her five years.
In 2009, Boyd guided the Falcons to a second-place overall finish at the state meet, the highest placing by the Kentlake gymnastics team in school history. The Falcons also posted a 19-0 overall record and won their lone South Puget Sound League North title that season.
Thielman and junior Katie Steckler are the final two holdovers from that 2009 bunch. Like Thielman, Steckler enjoyed one of the finest seasons of any gymnast in the area this winter. A state participant in three events – bars, beam and vault – Steckler didn’t make it to the second day. The Kentlake junior took 25th on bars (7.75), 24th on beam (8.175) and 24th on vault (8.775).
“Coming in, I just wanted to know that I did my best,” Steckler said. “Making it to finals was kind of a far-fetched goal. My goal all season was just to make it to state. It’s the best meet of the year.”
Meanwhile, Kentridge freshmen Ellie Hoekman and Amy Hiraki soaked up the atmosphere in their first state appearances. Hiraki took 30th on bars with a score of 7.4. Hoekman uncorked another strong score on her floor routine with a 9.2, but in a loaded field, it was only good enough for 32nd place.
“I felt pretty good about it,” Hoekman said. “I think it was one of my best routines of the year.”
Kentwood’s Jordan Johnson (bars, floor and vault) was the last of the five gymnasts from the Kent School District to advance. Johnson finished 31st on bars (7.35), 29th on floor (9.25) and 13th on vault (9.125).
Tahoma’s Kayla Kerschner rounded out the cast of local performers at the state meet, taking 39th on vault with a score of 8.1.
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