This year\u2019s Kent-Meridian gymnastics team will look to junior Nora Keith to lead the way.<\/p>\n
Last season, Keith competed in her second-straight state meet, taking home seventh place in the vault with a 9.350 score and finishing 34th in the all-around with 26.3 points.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really was happy with my performance,\u201d Keith said. \u201cI pretty much went out and did the best vault that I could. And it worked out pretty well.\u201d<\/p>\n
This season, Keith hopes to qualify for the state tourney for the third time and better her finish in the vault. She added that she also hopes to compete in the all-around again as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very convinced that I\u2019m better this year,\u201d she said. \u201cI really want to go into sub-districts, districts and state meets stronger and more confident.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keith\u2019s goals certainly are within her grasp, K-M coach Rachel Watanabe said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s really competitive,\u201d she said. \u201cShe always likes to do her absolute best and is not satisfied if she doesn\u2019t. She\u2019s one of my captains. It\u2019s her second year as captain and she is such an asset. There a lot of kids that are good athletes but don\u2019t help out other kids. She\u2019s goofy and always willing to put in the work. … I\u2019m hoping that she\u2019ll make it to the second day at state at more than just vault.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aiding Keith in her quest for postseason glory will be the rest of the Kent-Meridian team.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re looking pretty good,\u201d Watanabe said. \u201cI\u2019ve got a couple of other girls that are making a bit of progress.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to senior Savannah Diaz, the Royals are also looking to sophomores Kim Concillado and Jenna Crain.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose two are really pushing Nora this year,\u201d Watanabe said. \u201cWe have so many kids that are versatile. They just have fun together. I\u2019m lucky that I have them and they\u2019re all really supportive of each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
And they all want to improve, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do have a better team this year,\u201d Keith said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t know what to expect because we lost some seniors. We got a lot of good girls that have some gymnastics experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
KL looks to ride experience to state meet<\/b><\/p>\n
Talk about making an opening statement.<\/p>\n
Sure, it\u2019s still early in the gymnastics season, but Kentlake already has established itself as the team to beat in the South Puget Sound League North Division this winter.<\/p>\n
The Falcons notched a milestone last week, posting a 170.8 team score against Auburn Riverside, Auburn Mountainview and Olympia. The score not only surpassed the school\u2019s previous record of 163.95, but shattered it.<\/p>\n
And while the performance may not have been a surprise to Kentlake coach Marla Boyd, the timing of it was.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had it in my mind that I knew they could do it this year,\u201d said Kentwood coach Marla Boyd. \u201cBut I didn\u2019t think we\u2019d do it as soon as we did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kentlake standout Brianne Gould agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were pretty surprised,\u201d she said. \u201cWe knew we were getting stronger as a team, but we didn\u2019t think we\u2019d get it that soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
This season the Falcons will look to a strong core of returners, but also received a nice infusion of newcomers. The goal \u2014 and for this group, it appears a realistic one \u2014 is to not only challenge for the North Division title, but some state hardware as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have three strong returners, Brianne Gould, Lynnsey Thielman and Becca Peterson,\u201d Boyd said. \u201cAnd then we have three new kids this year, Kayla Shira, Brenna Bickel and Katie Steckler.\u201d<\/p>\n
Add in junior Janae Long, and Boyd contends that the Falcons are \u201cseven deep on every event.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last season, Gould finished 35th in the all-around, powered by a 10th-place, 8.250 finish on the beam.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s definitely a leader,\u201d Boyd said. \u201cShe leads by example and is a really good kid, always on time with a real positive attitude. She\u2019s a steady, consistent athlete. She doesn\u2019t do anything over the top difficulty-wise. She\u2019s just really consistent.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to Gould, the Falcons roster is stocked with high-quality athletes, including state competitors Peterson and Thielman.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a lot of individuals that have good leadership qualities,\u201d Boyd said. \u201cI just told them to step up when they need to. We focus more on the team than the individual. We always talk about how they, as individuals, can improve the team score. The team has really bought into that. I\u2019ll have kids coming up to me and asking, \u2018If I add this, how will it help the team?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to the returners, Kentlake should get a considerable boost from Shira, a Level 10 club gymnast with Auburn Gymnastics, who is competing for the first time as a prep athlete.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe actually expressed last year that she wanted to do high school gymnastics,\u201d Boyd said. \u201cBut she couldn\u2019t quite do it because of everything else she had going on. This year, she came into my office and just said, \u2018I\u2019m going to do it.\u2019 She\u2019s excited and has been a great addition to the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
And this year for the Falcons it\u2019s all about getting to the state meet as a team.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal is to qualify for state as a team,\u201d Boyd said. \u201cRight now we\u2019re focusing on that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Tahoma gymnastics on the rise<\/b><\/p>\n
When turnout day for the Tahoma gymnastics team rolled around this season, coach Laura Morceau couldn\u2019t believe her eyes.<\/p>\n
Traditionally, the Bears have struggled to fill a full team, which makes competing in the always tough SPSL North that much more difficult.<\/p>\n
This year, however, things will be different. Because more than 40 aspiring gymnasts showed up on the opening day of turnouts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the biggest team in our history,\u201d Morceau said. \u201cLast year was the biggest until then, but we doubled it this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, Morceau and the rest of the team are hoping that the increased numbers, coupled with the second-year coach\u2019s \u2018have-fun-first\u2019 approach to the sport will result in more success on the mats.<\/p>\n
And, just as important, more fun for the Bears.<\/p>\n
According to Morceau, the seeds of this year\u2019s increased turnout were planted at the end of last season, when the team finished ninth out of fourteen teams in the entire SPSL, a step up from the squad\u2019s usual basement finish.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe girls were so excited with a ninth-place finish,\u201d she said. \u201cThey were so used to coming in last. When they would finish second at a meet, they would get super excited.\u201d<\/p>\n
Morceau said that last year\u2019s team members – seniors Haley Bridges, Chrissy Dain, Kristen Eisele, Lexi Matthews, Jamie Martin and juniors Anna Marie Price and Hannah Stickney \u2013 spread the word about how much fun they were having, resulting in the increased turnout.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe girls on the team have a lot to do with it,\u201d Morceau said. \u201cThey are an amazing team with a lot of team unity. It\u2019s just like a big family where everyone works together to succeed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all about them as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Already this year, just two meets into the season, the Bears have notched another step in their improvement, capturing a first-place team finish against Thomas Jefferson, Kentridge and Kent-Meridian on Dec. 10.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany of the seniors had never won a meet,\u201d Morceau said.<\/p>\n
On the mat this season, Morceau said Tahoma will look to Stickney, who competed on the beam at the state meet last season, to set the tone.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s very dedicated,\u201d Morceau said. \u201cShe works her tail off. She is definitely a big part of the team and supports them anyway she can.\u201d<\/p>\n
For leadership, the team will look to co-captains Eisele and Price.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are dedicated and they have leadership skills and qualities,\u201d Morceau said. \u201cI told the team to pick girls that can show leadership, that are dedicated to the team and supports them and are positive role models.\u201d<\/p>\n
Throw in a couple of talented freshman in Kayla Kershner and Amy Mogenson, and Morceau said the Bears have the potential to have their best season ever.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just came in and said I wanted to have fun this season,\u201d Morceau said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to make it fun. I have never stressed winning. It\u2019s fun to win, but if you come in last and still have fun, that\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
SPSL NORTH<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
GYMNASTICS: AT A GLANCE<\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u2022 FAVORITES: Kentlake, Auburn Riverside.<\/p>\n
\u2022 OUTLOOK: Kentake looks like the team to beat this season with a strong core of returning state competitors, including Brianne Gould, Lynnsey Thielman and Becca Peterson. Couple that with the addition of senior Kayla Shira, a Level 10 club gymnast competing for her school for the first time, and the Falcons could run the table in the SPSL North. The team has already hit the 170 team score mark this season and could do it again. \u2026 Auburn Riverside steps up from the 3A classification, where it took seventh at state last season. The Ravens return junior Rebecca Turnbow, a state competitor who recovered from dual ankle injuries suffered at the district and state meets last season. Mix in returners Kylee Smith and Paige Crawford with newcomer Ali Rodseth, and the Ravens could contend with Kentlake for the team title. \u2026 Kentwood will look to returning seniors Becca Daniel and Jamie Larsen and sophomore Alison Wattles to aid its quest for a league title. Senior newcomer Alex Perez also will lend a hand. \u2026 Federal Way looks to recover from the loss of nine seniors. The team returns junior Lydia Berger and sophomore Taryn Paschke, and adds newcomer Valerie Pham. \u2026 Kent-Meridian returns all-around state competitor Nora Keith, who finished seventh at state in the vault last season. Also back are senior Savannah Diaz and sophomores Kim Concillado and Jenna Crain. \u2026 Auburn also jumps up in classification and will be led by sophomore Alexis Moore, who qualified for all four events at state a year ago and was 33rd in the all-around. Senior Amanda Hainer also has state experience. \u2026 Tahoma has its deepest squad ever, with 40 gymnasts turning out for the team. Look for state qualifier Hannah Stickney, who competed in the beam, to pace the team.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
CIRCLE ON THE CALENDAR<\/b><\/p>\n
Kent-Meridian, Auburn at Auburn Riverside, 7 p.m. Jan. 14: The Royals and Trojans will test their mettle against powerhouse Auburn Riverside.<\/p>\n
Kentwood, Kentlake, Kent-Meridian at Kentridge, 7 p.m. Jan. 28: Defending all-city champs Kentlake will look to secure bragging rights for another year.<\/p>\n
Auburn Mountainview, Auburn Riverside at Auburn, 7 p.m. Jan. 28: All-city meet will determine who\u2019s top of the heap in Auburn.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This year\u2019s Kent-Meridian gymnastics team will look to junior Nora Keith to lead the way. Last season, Keith competed in her second-straight state meet, taking home seventh place in the vault with a 9.350 score and finishing 34th in the all-around with 26.3 points. \u201cI really was happy with my performance,\u201d Keith said. \u201cI pretty […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":232,"featured_media":610,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/232"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=609"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}