As a senior, sports become a whole different experience. It is your last season to prove yourself, compete at your best, and have fun. The Forest Hills gymnastics team got to celebrate its seniors on Monday, February 13, when the ladies went head-to-head with the Rockford Rams. 

Senior night really brought forward the emotions in everyone. All the girls reflected on the season and how it has been going. Block after block, the team built a beautiful environment to compete in.

“Overall, I think this season has been good,” said senior Payton Dailey. “It has definitely been an adjustment getting used to a new coach. All in all, I think all of us have worked really hard, and I am very thankful that we have a team that enjoys each other’s presence and not just winning.” 

This meet was meant for the team just to have fun and give it its all and root for the seniors. As the emotions were flowing and the energy was high, and everyone was pumped, especially the seniors. This adrenaline assisted the girls in obtaining excellent results. 

Once again, the team was split up into two groups. In the first group, senior captain Abby Cummings secured an 8.4 on vault and an 8.25 on bars. Senior Maddy Bachert obtained a score of 8.55 on the beam. And on floor, junior Rachael “Jo” Yeager earned a fantastic score of 9.15. 

On the second team, sophomore Claire Worth acquired two of the highest scores: 8.75 on the vault and 8.4 on floor. Along with her scores, senior Payton Dailey scored 7.0 on bars, and senior Megan Wilson secured a 7.1 on the beam. 

Overall, senior captain Charlotte Stephan is pretty pleased with the meet’s outcome. 

“I think the meet went super well; it was enjoyable to see all of the seniors competing in all of their events and having a good time,” she said. “There were quite a few errors that we definitely could have worked on, but overall it went well and was very fun.”

Despite needing some work, there were some fantastic things to highlight at the meet. Charlotte got to compete despite her injury, Abby did her full-on floor, Payton got to perform her floor routine, and Megan got to compete on vault, beam, and floor for the first time this season.

So many outstanding accomplishments created lots of happiness and joy for the team. This meet was something for the girls to be pleased with.

“I am super proud of how the team competed.” said Abby, “The seniors especially, we all stepped up and competed at our best. We cheered each other on and in the end, we all just had a fun night of celebrating gymnastics and seniors.”

Being a senior and leading the team is a big thing for these upperclassmen ladies. Whether happy or sad, loud or quiet, the seniors play vital roles on the team; they are significant. 

Abby loves being a senior and being granted the opportunity to influence her teammates. 

“To me, being a senior means being a leader in the midst of attempting to pursue my life’s desires. It means displaying respect, integrity, compassion, and an uplifting attitude in everything you say and do.”

Despite the loss, the gymnasts still secured a win in their eyes. They worked hard and had fun doing it. They got to celebrate the seniors on the team and make the most of the brief time they have left on the team.

The ladies will continue their energy and compete on Wednesday, February 15, at Rockford High School. The time is TBA. Tensions will be high, due to this meet being for the conference. Best of luck to the ladies!