Posted: 4/16/03

Trio return to lead FL synchronized team

Berk Brown
Sports Editor

Quick ñ name the Forest Lake athletic team which placed the highest in its respective state meet in the spring of 2002.

If youíre guess was anything other than synchronized swimming, youíre wrong.

In fact, the Rangers placed seventh at the state meet last year as a team. Their finish was led by a fourth-place finish from its extended team, and three members of that squad return to lead the Rangers this year.

Katie Erickson, Laurey Keihne and Hannah McKenzie were all members of last yearís fourth-place team and this season they are joined on the extended team by Jynelle Gorka, Katy Hallberg, Alyse Howie, Britta Lundborg, Rachelle Martin, Dana Setterholm and Ashley Tackes.

Most of the newcomers were members of last years long team which finished fifth at state.
Forest Lake, which begins the routine portion of its schedule on Thursday, April 24, at Osseo, does not have a long team.

Instead, the Rangers have three short teams.

One of the short teams is comprised of Leann Beimert, Lindsay Cayford, Nicole Duff, Michelle Haseltine, Cori Kettler, Carrie Peterson, Alicia Tackes and Frances Van Sloun.

Of all those competing on that short team, Beimert, Van Sloun, Cayford, Kettler and Peterson were all on the short team which finished eighth at state last year.

Another short team consists of Kelsey Burk, Heidi Bolenbaugh, Kelsey Lefto, Alissa Moberg, Heather Ristow, Kelsey Robinson and Victoria Yamry.

And the other short team for Forest Lake this season includes Johannah Bourque, Ann Husfeldt, Sofi Kuschnir, Hilary Langer, Megan Lundberg, Mary Jo Nora, Colleen Royce and Dianna Schave.

Forest Lake also will have a handful of solos, duets and trios this season.

For solos, both Beimert and Peterson will compete in the short while Martin is Forest Lakeís lone competitor in the long.

The Rangers will have five different duet teams this spring.

The combinations of Cayford and Peterson as well as Van Sloun and Kettler will compete in the short duets for the Rangers.

Kiehne and Erickson, along with the combinations of Hallberg and Katie Prudhomme and Howie and Gorka will compete in the long duets.

Among all the Forest Lake solos, duets and trios, the short trio combination of Cayford, Kettler and Van Sloun has the most experience and past success. The three combined to place eighth at state a year ago. The will compete again this year in the short trios, as will the team of Duff, Tackes and Moberg.

Forest Lake will have three long trios. Gorka, Howie and McKenzie form one trio while the others are Erickson, Kiehne and Martin along with Lundborg, Setterholm and Tackes.

Forest Lake has a pair of home routine meets this year. The Rangers will face defending state champion Stillwater at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29, and will host Columbia Heights at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 8. Both meets are at the Southwest Junior High pool.

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