ATHLETICS


MAC Gymnasts Leap to the Top at Sectionals Meet


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AC’s compulsory girls gymnastics teams capped a strong competitive season, with all 40 gymnasts qualifying for the state championship meet. Qualification came as a result of the gymnasts’ impres- sive individual all-around scores at the Northern Oregon sectionals competition Nov. 20-21.


Compulsory girls coaches Candice Hawkes and Rob Petit say the teams hit their stride at sectionals after steady prog- ress all fall. “All three teams turned in their best team score of the year,” Hawkes notes. Team scores are calculated by adding the highest three individual scores for each of the four events: bars, beam, floor and vault. Each year, the gymnastics department brings in Dr. Alison Arnold, a sports psychologist, to help gymnasts stay focused and think like winners. “The girls met with Dr. Ali just before sectionals, which gave them an extra edge,” Petit says.


Fearless Fours fly at sectionals


The Level 4 team members, which calls themselves the Fearless Fours and were undefeated during the season, won at sectionals with a score that was one of the highest ever recorded for an Oregon team: 116.975 out of a possible 120. “What’s so great about this victory is that eight different gymnasts contributed to the high score,” Petit says. “We started out with a strong core of experienced ‘oldies,’ and the ‘newies’ who are in their


MAC’s Level 5 gymnasts showed consistent improvement throughout the year, placing second at sectionals in November. The girls showed off their fun side at October’s Ghostbuster Meet, for which they had to dress in costume.


first year of competitive gymnastics rose to the challenge and caught up.” Winning first-place all-around medals


at the meet were Annabelle Arnston, Rocky Farnell, Phoebe Kioschos, Isabel Szabo, Isabel Weiss and Ellie Wirth. Julia Patridge and Caleigh Warner captured second place all-around spots, and Nicole Niedermeyer and Annie Novak placed third all around.


Fantastic Fives keep improving


The Level 5 team, the Fantastic Fives, placed second at sectionals, just .125 off the first-place finish. “This is a team that


was all new except for one member. They kept plugging away all season, making little changes, just getting better and better,” Hawkes says.


Petit says he was proud of the team’s progress on bars. At Level 5, gymnasts use both of the uneven bars for the first time. He notes that the entire team performed without any falls on beam at sectionals, which is no small feat for routines that add a cartwheel to the mix of leaps, handstands and twists on the four-inch wide device. All-around first-place medals went to Katherine Ager, Anna Rumaner, Maddie


MAC Open returns for 28th year Feb. 18-20 A


highlight of the upcoming gymnastics season is the MAC Open Friday, Feb. 18 through Sunday, Feb. 20. In its 28th year at MAC, the 2011 event expects to draw more than 900 competitors to the West and Main gyms. The upcoming event hosts teams from as far away as Texas to compete. In previous years, international competitors from Japan and Yemen have displayed their skills at the MAC Open.


The most exciting day of the event is Sunday, when teams have a chance to compete in finals. Last year’s event came down to the last event before the MAC boys team took home first place.


For more information on the MAC Open, call the Gymnastics Office at 503-517-7560 or go online to theMAC.com. WM


62 | The Wınged M | JANUARY 2011


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