This previous Monday, January 23, the Forest Hills gymnastics team tumbled into their competition against Kenowa Hills gymnastics. 

In preparation for the competition, the girls worked the most they could. Senior captain Abby Cummings told us all about the behind-the-scenes.

“We have been working on perfecting our skills in our routines and upgrading for a higher start value at practice,” she said. “Our preparation has seemed successful as we are getting better with every competition.”

The competition was a bit uneasy for many different reasons; the team was not used to Monday meets, many ladies were worried about school rather than the team, and a handful of girls were sick. Nevertheless, bit by bit, the ladies built their energy up.

“We definitely did not have much energy at first for various reasons, but as we went throughout each event our energy got higher and higher,” said sophomore Claire Worth.

As the energy soared and adrenaline pumped, the girls became enthusiastic about the competition.

“Once we began competing, the team hyped up and cheered everyone on. The energy really increased, which led to each competitor feeling encouraged to do better,” said Abby. 

The highest scorers include: sophomore Claire Worth with an 8.8 on vault, Junior Rachael Yeager with a 7.675 on bars and an 8.85 on floor, and senior Maddy Bachert pulled through with an 8.425 on beam. As a whole, the team secured a score of 130.28—perfect for their first win. 

This meet was a game changer; the girls have improved drastically from lagging during meets to pulling through to number one. The team is proud of its performance and the battles it won. 

“I am very proud of our team! We have not been able to beat Kenowa at a dual meet yet, so I am beyond happy that we were able to win. We have been working hard at practice and I know we deserved the victory,” said Abby. 

The girls will travel to Kenowa Hills High School on Saturday, January 28, at 10 a.m. Continuing the energy into their next competition, the ladies will face multiple opponents at the Kenowa Hills Invite.