Returning gymnasts will be key for each school
December 1, 2008
By Jim Feehan
Issaquah
Issaquah has moved up a class, but also has eight returning starters on its gymnastics team as it gets ready for another highly anticipated season.Among the returning starters are sophomores Olivia Goree, Risa Fukuda and Jamie Elderkin; junior Taryn Chin; and seniors Ashley Lester, Kelly Richards, Kelsea Neal and Jen Farner. Those eight will be joined by newcomer Stephanie Harms, a senior.
Because they moved up to 4A, the Eagles will now face perhaps the most loaded league in the state. They’ll be joined by traditional powerhouses Woodinville, Bothell and Newport.
Issaquah also has been training at Gymnastics East in Preston this season, due to construction at Issaquah High School. The Eagles do not expect to have any home meets.
Issaquah was second in KingCo 3A last season, as well as runner-up at districts and state.
Liberty
The Liberty gymnastics team enters this season with five returning state participants.
Senior Danielle Kemmerer; juniors Cortney Schirman and Ally Huberty; and sophomores Cammie Fuentes and Miranda Jones all qualified for the state meet last season, said Lori Copenhaver, who is entering her 14th year as coach.
Last year’s squad also excelled in the classroom. The gymnastics squad was the 3A academic state champions with a team 3.73 grade point average.
Newcomers to watch include freshmen Emily Pestil-Dimmitt and Hannah Bergam.
When she’s not performing the vault, beam or floor exercises on the Liberty gymnastics team, Pestil-Dimmitt competes nationally in equestrian events, Copenhaver said.
Fuentes and Jones will excel in floor exercises, Huberty will score well in vault and Kemmerer will perform well in the all-around competition, Copenhaver said.
Mercer Island should be the top team in the league, followed by Mount Si, she said.
“The battle for third will come down to us and Sammamish,” she said. “I like what I see from this team. I’m looking forward to watching this team grow.”
Skyline
With KingCo being split into Crest and Crown divisions, and Issaquah, Skyline and Newport re-entering 4A status since last season, head coach Debbie Gliner said she isn’t quite sure how the 2008-2009 season will treat the Lady Spartans.
What she does know is they are stronger than last year, despite seeing eight members of the 17-member squad graduate.
The team returns this winter with the same number of gymnasts, but a few new additions in junior Dani Cogswell and freshman Amy Bearman, as well as the return of state qualifier on the balance beam, Jaymi Matsudaira — all promise to help Skyline place higher than last year’s middle-of-the-road KingCo finish.
“We’re definitely stronger than we were last year,” Gliner said. “How much stronger is kind of a wait and see now. We have great potential and I’m looking forward to the girls doing really well.”
Sophomores Suzanne Scharlock and Shelby Miller will round out the core competitors for the team, along with junior Rachel Blyth.
As the season gets under way, Gliner said the team is meshing well and hopes to compete well against the powerful Issaquah and Garfield teams.
It might help that a couple of girls took classes and worked out during the off-season.
“It will definitely make a difference in their scores this year,” Gliner said.
Regular season meets to watch: Issaquah at Skyline, 7 p.m. Dec. 11; Skyline at Eastlake, 7 p.m. Jan. 15.
By Jim Feehan, Ryan Piersol and Christopher Huber
Comments
Got something to say?
Before you comment, please note:
- These comments are moderated.
- Comments should be relevant to the topic at hand and contribute to its discussion.
- Personal attacks and/or excessive profanity will not be tolerated and such comments will not be approved.
- This is not your personal chat room or forum, so please stay on topic.
