Posted: 12/7/05
Gymnastics team is set to make a championship run
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Joe Drennan
Sports Editor
Few coaches in gymnastics have the luxury of returning 11 letter winners from the previous season, but Forest Lake High School gymnastics coach Nancy Elias has the luxury this season.
Returning to the Rangers from last yearís team include senior captains Kelsey Callahan and Tasha Tyler, along with teammates Taylor Brett, Janel Duffy, Chelsea Fitzmorris, Cori Kettler, Nicole Paulson, Scotti Sampair, Stephanie Sampair and Chelsea Uram.
New to the team this year is Courtney Anderson, Madeline Crew, Esther Jandrich, Courtney Klein, Adriane Kraus, Nina Schneider and Jessica Springer.
ìIím encouraged by the talent we have,î Elias said. ìI think we have a lot of talent on our team and itís just a matter of getting the girls to work to their potential and stay injury free.î
The point of staying injury free is something Elias knows she truly has little control over, but after last year where the team faced season ending injuries sheís hoping the athletes can stay healthy.
Two of last seasonís worst injuries resulted in surgery. Paulson had two separate knee surgeries, one just before the season started and one mid way through, then Fitzmorris had one knee surgery of her own. Luckily both girls have been able to bounce back from the surgeries.
ìThey havenít been tentative in their return to the mat and you canít be in gymnastics because if you are itís unsafe,î Elias said. ìBoth girlís personalities are that if theyíre going to go for it, theyíre going to go for it hard, but theyíll be smart about it.î
Looking at the list of events; balance beam, uneven bars, pummel horse and mat, Elias isnít too sure whoíll compete at each event, but has her own thoughts.
Paulson, Crew, Scottie Sampair, Tyler, Callahan and Fitzmorris will most likely be the main gymnasts, but others could jump in.
ìI think we have a good amount of depth and because of that the varsity lineup may change often depending on whoís ready,î Elias said. ìEven with a small team we have a lot of depth.î
Competition
The Rangers will face a new Suburban East Conference opponent this year in Cretin-Derham Hall. Cretin-Derham Hall was placed in the conference last spring by the state high school league.
ìI think theyíll be competitive,î Elias said of Cretin-Derham Hall. ìWe hosted them in a meet last year to see them and they were competitive. Theyíll find a home in our conference.î
Once past Cretin-Derham Hall the Rangers canít relax. Stillwater, Roseville, White Bear Lake and Park (Cottage Grove), all SEC opponents, are all quality programs that could make a run at a conference title.
ìThere is no easy meet in this conference,î Elias said. ìThere is no meet that we can say weíre going to automatically win.î
When the Rangers move out of conference play and into the sections they have to face many of the same teams like Park (Cottage Grove) White Bear Lake and Roseville.
While the schedule may be difficult for the Rangers, Elias knows the only ones who can do anything about it are the girls on the team.
ìYou canít think about what other teams do,î Elias said. ìYou can only think about what you can do with your team, and my goal is to work with the kids and get them to work to their potential.î
While the girls on the Rangers team are the ones who have to go out and compete, harnessing the internal motivation that Elias says is crucial, she isnít too worried.
ìThe good thing about this team is that they can push and encourage each other,î Elias said. ìIf the girls can do that in a positive way then weíll be OK.î
Weekly recap
The Rangers opened their season last Thursday with a 141.325-126.30 loss to Stillwater.
ìAt first I was disappointed in our performances, but as the meet went on, I realized we were doing the best we could given the circumstances and short preparation time for our first conference meet,î Elias said.
Paulson took first place in the bars and beam. On the bars Paulson had a score of 9.25 and on the beam a score of 9.10.
Crew took third on the floor with a score of 9.05, while Tyler placed fourth in the all around with a score of 32.75.
ìAs I reflected I found some things to be happy about,î Elias said. ìWe had five of 11 sticks on the beam which is something we can improve, but is a good start. We also surpassed our score from last years first meet by three points.î
The Rangers next event is today, Thursday, when they host Roseville at 6 p.m.
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