Posted: Feb. 1, 2010

When a school hosts a meet, it wants to provide everyone with a great experience.

Menomonee Falls/Germantown gymnastics coach Tracey Howard was frustrated that she couldn't quite do that Saturday at the Indian Invitational, as a third of the way through the meet the uneven bars broke and they couldn't get it repaired in time to have everyone finish on it. It was a bar tightener that failed, she said.

So Howard and other meet officials did the next best thing by giving everyone a level playing field.

They threw out the scores of those who had already competed on the apparatus (including themselves) and just tabulated the team scores based on three events, not four.

Falls/GT still won the meet, but it was clearly not what Howard and the rest of the Indians wanted.

"It still worked out to be a fun day for a lot of people," Howard said. "A lot of kids who don't normally get medals got some today."

Falls/GT will have parents' night with defending state Division 2 champ Whitefish Bay on Wednesday.

The Indians scored 97.875 to win their own five-team event Saturday as Watertown was second with 95.5.

Abby Croft led the way, winning the floor exercise with 9.05 score and the vault with an 8.25. She was also fourth on beam with an 8.2. She had posted a good mark on the bars before they broke and would have won the all-around had they been included in the scoring, said Howard.

"She had an exceptional meet and is really peaking at the right time," said Howard. "I look forward to Abby and the team continuing to pursue their team goals."

Freshman Emma Brose claimed a third on vault with a score of 8.05 while Bria Maltby was sixth with an 8.0. Freshmen Marissa Arnold and Aerial Holt placed fifth and third on the floor exercise, respectively, with scores of 8.25 and 8.525. Senior London Williams was sixth on the floor with an 8.075.

Shelby Smykal missed her second meet in a week due to illness.

The Indians had an average meet in beating Port Washington on Jan. 27 with a 125.3 score. They were again without Smykal.

Croft won the vault with an 8.175, the beam (7.925), and the floor (8.725). She did not compete on the bars due to the fact that Port's bars did not widen enough for a higher level swinging routine. London Williams took second on the floor with an 8.05. Kelly Digerness contributed to the team a 7.7 with a new vault and plans on improving that score. Vault is an area the team needs to improve as a team, said Howard.

"It's a combination varsity/junior varsity meet," Howard said, "and it's good that way because the jayvee kids learn what it's all about to be varsity and the varsity learns what its like to be role models."

 

- Steven L. Tietz