It wasn\u2019t that the Kentlake gymnastics team desperately needed Kayla Shira when the winter season began.<\/p>\n
The Falcons already boasted a solid group of gymnasts and a bevy of state veterans \u2014 Lynnsey Thielman, Brianne Gould and Becca Peterson \u2014 as well as a handful of newcomers more than capable of driving the team to the Class 4A state meet.<\/p>\n
But still, every school day, Kentlake head coach Marla Boyd had to wonder: \u201cWhat if?\u201d<\/p>\n
That \u201cwhat if\u201d was Kayla Shira, who despite starting at Auburn Gymnastics Club down the road, had never competed on the school team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have Kayla in class, I was her Spanish teacher, so we always connected on gymnastics,\u201d Boyd said.<\/p>\n
Though Boyd never pushed Shira to compete for the school team, it was clear that the Level 10 club experience she possessed would make a considerable difference. As would, of course, Shira\u2019s dedication, work ethic and skill.<\/p>\n
Getting the senior to turn out would simply be a \u201ccherry on top of the ice-cream sundae.\u201d<\/p>\n
So when Shira came in before the season began to announce her intention to turn out, it was better than a trip to Baskin and Robbins for Boyd.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know in her junior year she was interested and kind of wanted to come out, but she didn\u2019t want to give up her club experience,\u201d Boyd said. \u201cBut this year \u2014 her senior year \u2014 was her last chance. So she came in one day and said, \u2018I\u2019m going to do it. I\u2019m going to do high school 100 percent.\u2019 And I said, \u2018Okay, good to have you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
For Shira, who has competed for her club team for more than 10 years, it was about taking her final opportunity to have some fun in high school.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody always talked about how much fun they had in high school gymnastics and how much more of a team sport it is,\u201d Shira said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot less stressful and it\u2019s my senior year and I wanted to try something new. It has been awesome. I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shira first turned out for gymnastics when she was six.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy cousin started and my mom put me in to get rid of some of the energy that I had,\u201d Shira said.<\/p>\n
Initially, Shira said she started with Diaz Gymnastics, run by Kentwood head coach Ann Diaz, before moving to Auburn Gymnastics.<\/p>\n
Although she said she enjoyed the sport immediately, Shira added it took awhile before she was able to compete.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t start off very good at gymnastics at all,\u201d she said. \u201cBut eventually I saw people doing really big skills and I wanted to also.\u201d<\/p>\n
By the time she had moved up the Level 5 gymnastics, Shira was beginning to get the notion that this might be the sport for her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe won state at level five,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Shira currently spends more than 25 hours a week in the gym practicing. She starts practicing immediately after the last bell at Kentlake High, going from 2:45 p.m. to 5 p.m. for the Falcons, before heading to Auburn to practice with the club team until 8 p.m.<\/p>\n
All that time practicing, however, has been worth it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess it\u2019s really shaped me as a person,\u201d she said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t know what to do without it. I\u2019ve been doing it so long. It\u2019s made me really responsible and dependable and made me dedicated to the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to the intangibles that come along with Shira, Boyd said she also has made a significant impact on the mats and on the scoreboard.<\/p>\n
\u201cKayla is a really solid gymnast, so we know we can always count on her to hit her routines and help the team score,\u201d Boyd said. \u201cAlso, I think a lot of the girls look up to her because she is such a good gymnast and the highest level gymnast on the team. So I think it inspires the rest of the team to push themselves and get new routines and better scores.\u201d<\/p>\n
This season, Shira has distinguished herself in the South Puget Sound North division, posting several all-around scores above 37. In spite of her already high levels, Boyd said she believes that her potential is still unreached.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s getting really high all-around scores,\u201d she said. \u201cShe\u2019s such a well trained gymnast, that she\u2019s still got routines that she\u2019s been working on for club that she hasn\u2019t put into her high school routines yet. But in high school, she just needs to be solid.\u201d<\/p>\n
And if she\u2019s solid, Boyd said she\u2019s confident that Shira has a chance at snagging the 4A title this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think she is a contender,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t remember what the all-around score was last year, but I think that it\u2019s in the range that she can hit. She can definitely hit all 9.5s on every event. Also, when we\u2019re at our local meets we\u2019re not on the spring floors, so there are more skills that she could do on the floor. But she has a 10.0 start value on every event except the vault.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s state title all-around Class 4A score was 37.3 posted by Emerald Ridge\u2019s Brianna Howe and Lake Washington\u2019s Sienna Viltz, who tied for first.<\/p>\n
For Shira, her goals are more than simply getting to state.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s hoping she has some company on the winner\u2019s podium.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to go to state,\u201d Shira said. \u201cI have a lot of friends on other teams. My friends from Tahoma, Brianna McKenney and Lexi (Matthews), we all want to finish one-two-three at state. We haven\u2019t decided who is where yet, we just want to have the top of the podium.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
KEITH, K-M ready for postseason<\/p>\n
Last week, Kent-Meridian\u2019s Nora Keith posted another all-around win in the North Kitsap, Federal Way and Rogers quad meet at Kent-Meridian High School.<\/p>\n
Keith notched a 36.50 all-around score, fueled by four first-place finishes in the events. She also scored a 8.6 on the bars, a 9.2 on the beam, a 9.5 in the floor exercise and a 9.2 on the vault. Teammate Kim Concillado grabbed third in the floor competition with an 8.7 score.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was good, it\u2019s the first time she\u2019s ever placed in the top-three,\u201d Kent-Meridian coach Rachel Watanabe said.<\/p>\n
North Kitsap came out on top in the team competition with a 152.8 score, followed by the Royals with a 147.95, Federal Way with a 138.0 and Rogers with a 132.1.<\/p>\n
Now on the brink of the postseason, the Royals are hoping to make some noise at the next level.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re pretty close to where I thought we\u2019d be,\u201d Watanabe said. \u201cIt\u2019s been kind of hard with all the reschedules with the snow and everything else. But we\u2019re doing good and progressing well. I\u2019m pretty excited about the postseason. I think at least my top four have a chance to qualify for districts. And I think that Nora has a chance of qualifying for state. I\u2019m just kind of excited to get there. Now it\u2019s just seeing if they can all put together at the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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