Three. There arejust three weeks ofthe regular seasonremaining for local high school gymnasts.
After that, all eyeswill be on qualifyingfor the WIAA state meet. A few lucky oneswill be happy to getthrough. Fewer yet willactually have a chance tolegitimately compete fora state medal.
Last week all four ofour local gymnasticsteams competed atWestby’s Tami Effinger invite. It’s a good meetto use as a springboardfor the final run to thepostseason which startsthe last week of February.
Just because the season’s half over, doesn’t mean individual growth is done.
Last Friday each of the area teamsrecorded some sort of personal record- team (see REPORT on page 10) or individually.
The West Salem co-op has lofty goals as a team, but those can only be achieved with individual improvement.
Camdyn Lyga set new personal marks on vault (9.1) and floor (9.5). That alsocontributed to a new all-around best of35 flat.
Joining Lyga with a new best all-around score was Kennedy Garbers (35.65). The catalystfor the new mark was a PR of 9.1 on bars.
Hayden Rhode had a PR on bars (8.925) and Olivia Maki set one in the floor exercise (9.25).
Tomah had a few standards fall Friday. Morgan Squires was responsible for three of them. Squires improved from a 6.6 on bars to a 7.05 Friday. She also scored an 8.25 on vault and finished with an all-around tally of 31.25.
Also for THS, Mya Mayer ratcheted up her bars score to 7.7.
Savannah Myers competed in the all-around for the first time since she was a freshman. The challenge paid off as Myers set a PR on vault at 8.275.
For Sparta, Paige Ehlinger’s 8.2 on floor was a new high and Aylah Hanson moved the needle on her all-around mark with a 31.3.
The Westby co-opteam combined for ahalf dozen individual PRs.
Defending unevenbars state champ,Isabell Korn scored an8.95 on bars and pushed the limit on floor with a 9.4
Freshman Peyton Sprosty exited with three newmarks - vault (8.4), bars(7.85) and floor (8.25).
Anya Leonardrecorded an 8.35 onthe beam to round outthe individual personal records.
The chances to watch any of theselocal athletes is running out.
Ther are just two Mississippi ValleyConference meets left on the calendarthis winter. Sparta hosts the MVC on Thursday, Feb. 6 and Onalaska hosts thefinale on Thursday, Feb. 13.
The Coulee Conference meet will beheld Friday, February 21 at West Salem.
West Salem will also be the site for a Division 1 sectional. That meet willinclude local teams such as Holmen andthe La Crosse co-op.
The Division 2 area teams will all be at the Wisconsin Rapids sectional on Saturday, March 1.
That grouping will include Sparta, Tomah and Westby along with Onalaska and G-E-T.
As mentioned, team growth was one area of success for the Westby team at their home meet Friday evening.
The WHS co-op scored a 133.5 as a team - a whole 2.5 points better than its previous mark.
“The team is buzzing with excitement after achieving a season-high score on Friday. Their dedication and hard work in perfecting their skills and routines have truly paid off, and the results are a testament to their commitment,” said Westby head coach Tiffany Jothen.
Jothen explained that the team success will act as a confidence booster - a key ingridient going into the heart of the most meaningful portion of the season.
“Improving the overall team score by 2.5 points is a significant accomplishment, and it provides valuable insight into where the team stands. It also helps identify the areas that need further improvement to remain competitive within our conference and sectional.”
For reference, both G-E-T and Onalaska will be at the same sectional at Westby. G-E-T has consistently outscored Westby throughout the season and finished second Friday night with a 137.625. Onalaska finished just behind Westby with a score of 133.1.
Marshfield, Mosinee and Wisconsin Rapids are also at the same sectional. However, according to season scores recorded on scoreflippers.com, it would appear that the teams with the best shot to advance to team state are G-E-T, Westby and Onalaska.
Friday’s improvement by its senior standout, Isabell Korn and freshman Peyton Sprosty will likely put Westby in the hunt for a spot at team state. However, surrmounting that hurdle will take more than just two athletes’ efforts.
In its history, Westby has only made it to state three times - 1971, 72 and 2013 (with Bangor as its only co-op school).
Viroqua - both on its own and with its co-op partners - has a number of state appearances (1972, 80, 95 on its own) (2009, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 with others).
Cashton was at state as a team from 1971- 1974 and De Soto was there in 1972, 74, 82, 84 and in 1985.
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