Layout to success
December 20, 2017
The Owatonna Gymnastics team started off their season with a vigorous performance in Red Wing as the gymnasts are working their way back to their third place state title last year. With an overall score of 144.675 on their first meet, they stayed consistent with a 144.5 for the second meet at Waconia High school, and the last meet at home with 144.8. The team brought home wins on all three of the meets this season. They showed their determination to dominate. The most recent meet was at home against Rochester Century, Rochester John Marshall and Rochester Mayo. The competition has lead to another first place taken home for the team, continuing their streak.
Though the team has pulled out first every single meet, their work ethic hasn’t been lowered at all. The team is taking time during practice for working on both  new skills, and also making sure to continue to excel in their competition skills. When asked how the team was improving, Teammate sophomore Jada Federly said, “ Everyone is trying to work to twist farther on either floor or bars.” Every skill is important, even when it isn’t being used in competition just yet. The goal is to continue working on the hard to get skills so that they have a possibility of making it to a routine.
The girls on the team are very proud of what they have accomplished this season. When speaking with senior captain Becca Olson, she explained how the sport is both a team sport and an individual. Each competition the girls are working to individually do their best to improve both their own scores and the overall team score. Olson said, “We are often more focused on the small things during practice, and cheering on (our teammates during a competition).” When the girls are at practice they have to show determination to get their routines down and clean with new form. If they persevere through the long practice, it will pay off in the end at competitions.
Coach Tom Smith describes the goals for the upcoming season as working toward cleaning up routines. When asked what things were to be taken care of, Coach Smith said, “The little things like toes pointed, legs straight and together, sticking landings and not taking steps on landings. Those little things add up to be a lot of the tenths added to our score.” The gymnastics team competes next at the K & G gymnastics club in Mankato on Jan. 4. They’ll face off against Mankato Eastand Mankato West at 6:30 p.m.
