MEDFORD-COLBYGYMNASTICS - Big finish on floor gets gymnasts up to 130 in win

MEDFORD-COLBY GYMNASTICS

A few routines didn’t go as planned in Tuesday’s gymnastics triangular, but teammates picked each other up and Medford-Colby found ways to nearly match its season-high score while defeating Antigo and Mosinee in the final home meet of the winter.

The Raiders tallied 130.1 points, 0.7 points shy of their Jan. 11 output against Marshfield and pulled away from the Red Robins (119.55) and Indians (93.9), two former rivals from when they competed in the Great Northern Conference’s Small Division and two teams they’ll see multiple times yet this season.

The team score shot up in the back half of the meet when the Raiders posted team totals of 32.8 on the balance beam and a season-high 34.25 on the floor. As usual, vault scores were solid, producing 33.85 team points even with only one seasonbest varsity score.

There were some bobbles on the uneven bars, but even there, Delaina Meyer picked up the slack, tying Antigo’s Ginny Praslowicz for first place with a 7.7, and Raylin Rothmeier (7.3) and Veronica Mateer (7.1) had clean-looking routines that kept Medford-Colby on track to hit the 130-mark again.

“This was a team effort in every sense of the word,” Medford head coach Andrée Brushaber said.

Despite icing her troublesome ankle or keeping it elevated between events, Kyla Krause was still able to claim the allaround championship for the meet with 33.85 total points. That included a win in the vault at 9.05 and a win on the floor at 9.1. Krause just missed winning with a nofall routine on the beam, earning an 8.6 that fell 0.15 points behind Praslowicz. She tied Mateer for fifth on the bars at 7.1 “Kyla demonstrated focus, determination, and class as always,” Brushaber said. “She is a tough girl and very committed to the team. She is so smart about her choices, so supportive of her teammates and very aware of the health of her body. She had a great night. She was 0.35 from tying her PR in vault, 0.3 from tying her PR on beam, and 0.2 from tying her PR on floor. When you consider her hitting her injured ankle on the bars and what that did to her physically, emotionally, and how it can derail a gymnast mentally for future events, you are concerned for her health. She is so in tune with her body though that she knows what she can do.”

Starting the meet on vault, the Raiders have been sharper, but they came through Tuesday by making sure one of their two attempts earned solid scores. Rothmeier’s 8.45 was good for fourth place, just behind Mosinee’s Jaiden Reed (8.65) and Praslowicz (8.5). Meyer hit her first vault well enough to earn an 8.3 and tie for fifth. Shayla Radlinger’s 8.05 was her best varsity score of the season and placed seventh while Ellison Carbaugh was right behind her at 7.975. Radlinger added a 6.8 on the bars in the next rotation.

Krause’s beam routine started a solid night for Medford-Colby in the event, though the Raiders are still looking for improvement in the coming weeks. Rothmeier had just one fall and turned an otherwise strong routine into a third-place score of 8.25. Meyer also fell just once and earned a fifthplace 8.0. Radlinger’s nofall routine got her sixth place with a 7.95 and Mateer got a 6.8. “I think the girls were cautious so we had reduced falls,” Brushaber said. “I think some of the girls were too cautious or nerves were getting the best of them so they were a little timid on beam. When you get timid, you get small, and the beam wins. Wobbles are a concern almost as much as falls. I am proud that they were fighting for their scores and although it wasn’t our highest team score this year, I feel for the most part from JV to varsity we demonstrated how there is no definite line between the two.”

No one challenged Krause’s 9.1 on the floor. Praslowicz was a distant second at 8.55. Mateer (8.55), Rothmeier (8.35) and Radlinger (8.25) were next on the list and Meyer was eighth with a 7.75.

“Floor was great,” Brushaber said. “It was our highest team score this season. The girls cleaned things up and made some choices that would represent them better before the competition.”

Rothmeier was third in the all-around standings with 32.35, four-tenths off her season-best. Meyer was fourth with a season-best total of 31.75 and Radlinger was fifth (31.05). Praslowicz was second with 33.45 all-around points.

“Delaina was so excited to perform,” Brushaber said. “She has worked very hard and I am so happy that she was able to get close to her PR for vault (0.425 away from tying). She was 0.06 away from tying her bars PR, 0.2 away from tying her beam PR and on floor there was a fluke stumble yet she scored 0.875 away from tying her PR.”

In JV competition, the Raiders outscored Antigo62.8-18.4.FreshmanLindsey Kauffman was an all-around entrant for the first time and totaled 25.95 points. She was the only competitor on the floor (7.0) and bars (4.6). Kaileigh Mientke won the vault with an 8.1, followed by Mateer (8.05) and Kauffman (7.35). Carbaugh won the beam with a 7.4, just ahead of Mientke (7.3). Kauffman was fourth with a 7.0 and Bridget Cloud was fifth with a 6.0.

Medford-Colby is at the nine-team Antigo Invitational on Saturday. The meet starts at 10 a.m. at Antigo High School. The Raiders have their third and final GNC Large Division dual meet Feb. 1 at Wisconsin Rapids. That starts at 5:45 p.m.

“This was a team effort in every sense of the word,” Brushaber said. “I think it is important to elaborate on that because we could not be where we are without the availability of the Rainbow Gymnastics facility, the support from staff, and the girls we have on the team as a whole. We are grateful for the co-op of the Colby School District and their amazing staff that support the team. If your kid is interested in gymnastics, Rainbow is an excellent facility with a wonderful staff. Megan Yanko, my assistant coach, has been amazing and I am so grateful for her perspectives on things. She is so in tune with the girls, she is collaborative, funny, knowledgeable and passionate about the sport. She really wants the girls to succeed which is why we do what we do. I am very blessed to have the support from previous club and high school coaches as we continue with the season.”