OHS Gymnastics has been a rising program for the last couple of years. This season however, has been very different from previous years due to COVID-19. Even with the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic, the gymnastics team had high hopes for a great season. 

Team senior captains Lucy Macius and Lindsay Bangs have been big leaders in reaching the team’s goal. Head coach Evan Moe said, “I thought we’d have a pretty good chance at making it to state and winning a conference title.”

On March 13, the Huskies defended the title of Big 9 champions for the sixth year in a row. The team won the meet with a score of 147.025. This is their highest score all year and ranks them number two in the state. After Big 9, they worked hard for another week until sections. On March 20, the team competed at the Northfield gym against eight other teams. The Huskies finished strong and won the meet with a 146.5. This made them state bound for the fifth time in six years. The individuals that also made it to state were Halle Theis on vault, Kaitlyn Cobban on bars and beam, Emma Johnson on bars and Lucy Macius on beam. 

The MSHSL State Gymnastics meet was held on March 27 at Champlin Park High School. For many years, gymnastics state has been held at the PAV at the University of Minnesota, but with COVID-19 the last two seasons, it has been moved. It also looked different because there were two days of team competition for class AA instead of usually having one day. The meet began at 6 p.m. and the gymnasts started on bars. They then rotated in Olympic rotation which is vault, bar, beam and then floor. Overall, the Huskies placed third at state with a 145.4. Individually, Kaitlyn Cobban placed second on beam with a 9.375 and Lucy Macius finished sixth on beam with a 9.30.

This season has been stranger than most but can definitely be one to remember. With the biggest meets of the season last, it can be hard to keep working or try not to get nervous. Macius said, “Early on in my high school career, I definitely felt the nerves and pressure of big meets. Now I just try to have fun and enjoy every second of it. I tell myself to do the best I can.” The Huskies will graduate two seniors this season and will have many returning members.