Allison Northey wins Pac-12 gymnastics award two weeks in row
March 26, 2013
Allison Northey, a 2012 Skyline High School graduate, has been named Pac-12 Gymnastics Newcomer of the Week two weeks in a row.
Northey, a freshman on the University of Washington gymnastics team, first earned the honor for the week of Feb. 11-17. Her first time competing in the all-around as a collegiate athlete, she finished third overall with a 39.075 that week, helping her team tie No. 6 Utah for the second time in school history.
Saving the best for last
February 19, 2013
Tia Riley closed her gymnastics career on a major upswing, competing in three disciplines and setting personal bests in two.
The Liberty High School senior’s scores in floor and vault at the state meet in Tacoma surpassed all her marks in prep gymnastics, she said.
She did not qualify for finals, but nobody could call her final meet a failure, not her coach who said that two minor mistakes kept Riley from the floor finals, nor Riley herself.
By Greg Farrar
Tia Riley, Liberty High School senior, leaps during her floor routine at the 3A state gymnastics championships in Tacoma.
“I’m happy,” she said. “I’m glad I competed so well in my last meet.”
Skyline High School gymnasts earn No. 2 spot at meet
February 5, 2013
The Skyline High School Spartans faced off against Eastlake, Garfield and Newport in their second-to-last league gymnastics meet Jan. 24, where they eventually took second place with 130.77 points.
Even with a few of their top performers missing Jan. 24, the Spartans had 10 girls in each event.
“They did great. I thought they did fantastic tonight,” Skyline coach Michelle McCombs said. “We were trying to reach 145, but because we were down a couple of our key players, we knew that it wasn’t going to happen. But we still got close to 130, which is good.”
Issaquah gymnasts dedicate lone home meet to Bob Taylor
January 15, 2013
Elise Bugge, Issaquah High School sophomore, is in a zone of happiness as she works on her uneven bars routine Jan. 10 during the Eagles’ gymnastics meet against Roosevelt. By Greg Farrar
The Issaquah High gymnastics squad made the most of its only home appearance of the regular season Jan. 10 to trim the visiting Roosevelt contingent, 150-139.
The gymnasts stepped up on Senior Night, and dedicating their endeavors to the late Bob Taylor, longtime sports editor for The Issaquah Press and a gymnastics enthusiast.
Issaquah junior standout Rebecca Chinn turned in solid performances in the vault and the beam events with a pair of bronzes, recording a tandem of 8.55 points.
Meanwhile, Issaquah junior gymnasts Amanda Dumont and Elise Bugge finished in the top 10 in the vault and floor exercises.
Liberty gymnasts stumble against Mount Si
January 15, 2013
Shawna Sarrett, Liberty High School senior, poses on the balance beam, earning a score of 7.0 on Jan. 10 against Mount Si. By Christina Corrales-Toy
Going in to the Patriots’ Jan. 10 meet against Mount Si, Liberty High School gymnastics coach Lori Copenhaver knew it would be an uphill battle.
The relatively short-in-numbers Liberty squad failed to match Mount Si’s strong depth, falling to the Wildcats, 161.05-127.15.
“It was kind of expected, but I think the girls did really well,” Copenhaver said.
Despite the loss, Copenhaver said she was encouraged by what she saw out of her gymnasts, especially seniors Tia Riley and Shawna Sarrett.
“Tia actually had probably her best meet so far this year,” she said.
Riley took second place on the vault with a score of 8.65, and placed third overall with a score of 31.65. Sarrett placed seventh overall with a score of 29.9.
It was the Patriots’ first meet since the holiday break, and with a strong Mount Si team coming up, Copenhaver said it was important to get her gymnasts refocused as they returned to school.
Liberty Patriots gymnastics team defeats Bellevue Wolverines
December 18, 2012
Tia Riley, Liberty High School senior, poses on the balance beam, earning a score of 7.8 Dec. 13 against Bellevue. By Christina Corrales-Toy
It is easy to spot the Liberty High School gymnastics team among a crowded gymnasium filled with fans, coaches and other competitors.
Junior Rikki Ulrich shines despite Spartan gymnasts’ last-place finish
December 18, 2012
Rikki Ulrich, Skyline High School junior, goes heels over head in the dismount during her winning balance beam routine for a score of 8.75, on the way to her winning all-around score Dec. 13 against Eastlake. By Greg Farrar
The Skyline High School gymnastics team may have finished fourth behind Eastlake, Redmond and Roosevelt on Dec. 13, but it had the top-place finisher in four of the five categories.
Rikki Ulrich, a junior at Skyline, cartwheeled down the line to the springboard before flipping up and off the vault to score 8.9 points and earn the win. On the uneven bars, Ulrich started out on the upper bar, so she could complete two bar changes by the end of her routine, which she ended with a giant fly away for 7 points and a two-way tie for sixth.
“I kind of just close my eyes and go,” she said about bar. “I’ve been doing it for so long that it’s just second nature.”
Beam brought Ulrich another win with an 8.75. She strung together several jumps and flips in the floor competition before winning with a score of 9.6. In the end, she racked up 34.25 points to win the all-around.
The 16-year-old did all this while working through back pain, which she has been dealing with for three years.
“I think it’s just overuse mainly,” Ulrich said. “It definitely impacts me, but I try to work through it because if it’s already lasted for three years then it is staying there … It makes me work harder. I don’t think it makes me better, but it gives me more drive.”
Issaquah High School coach sees potential in gymnasts’ loss
December 18, 2012
Due to circumstances beyond their control (holiday band concerts and illnesses depleting the Eagles’ varsity roster) the Issaquah High School gymnastics squad posted one of the lowest totals Dec. 13 at Bothell High School with a 136.45 effort, losing to Woodinville, Bothell and Ballard.
Eagle gymnasts earn high marks at state
February 22, 2011
Coach Ryan Fleisher (back to camera) and Olivia Goree, Issaquah senior, embrace as Goree finishes her high school gymnastics career with a floor routine Feb. 19 during the 4A state gymnastics tournament at the Tacoma Dome. By Sebastian Moraga
Issaquah High School gymnasts A.J. Bowers and Olivia Goree both came away with high places Feb. 19 at the 4A state gymnastics tournament in the Tacoma Dome.
Bowers, in her first year of varsity gymnastics, finished fourth in vault. Goree, a senior, capped her varsity career by finishing fifth on the balance beam and tying for eighth in floor exercise.
While Bowers beamed from the Tacoma Dome podium, Goree wept at the end of her floor performance in the arms of head coach Ryan Fleisher.
Fleisher, the 2011 4A Washington State Gymnastics Coach of the Year, had high praise for both.
“I thought she did really well,” Fleisher said of Bowers. “To make it to state in your first year on the team, in the toughest league and not let the intimidation factor get to you, she did great.”
Eagles take season’s final meet from Spartans
February 1, 2011
Amanda ‘A.J.’ Bowers, of Issaquah, performs a backflip on the balance beam while earning a 7.4. By Greg Farrar
When the judges announced Skyline High School’s score at the end of the gymnastics meet Jan. 27, the team celebrated, coach Debbie Gliner said.
The team had worked all season to hit the 140-point mark and it made it.
“When we heard the final team score, I think that was a really exciting moment for us,” Gliner said. “We knew it would be a year of rebuilding and growth, and it’s exciting to see how far they’ve come.”
Skyline hit a team milestone, but ultimately Issaquah beat the Spartans, 166.130-141.8, in the final meet of the regular season. Overall, Newport did best, finishing the meet with a score of 173.8. Redmond took third overall with 158.675.
“To finish out the regular season knowing everybody’s trying new things, it’s fun to see all those new things come together,” Issaquah coach Ryan Fleisher said. “I’m pleased with where everybody finished.”
