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Battlefield takes win in gymnastics
The Battlefield gymnastics team seems to add a few more stars each season and the 2009-10 campaign is shaping up no differently.All-around performances of 35.6 for sophomore veteran Alex Fairbanks and 34.7 for newcomer Brianna Artz led the Bobcats to a 137.9-130.9 win on Dec. 16.
The Bobcats beat out second-place Loudoun Valley at the meet, which was held at Stonewall Jackson High School.
Fairbanks was the only gymnast of the day to break the 9.0 barrier on the floor, scoring a 9.1 on what’s typically her best event at any given meet.
The team co-captain, Fairbanks also posted a top-five showing on the vault with a 9.0.
Artz meanwhile, left a strong impression of her own by finishing just one-tenth of a point behind first-place senior teammate Katie Surface (9.5) on the balance beam. She coupled that with an 8.8 on the floor; good enough for second place.
“She really hasn’t done gymnastics-gymnastics in about three years,” said Battlefield coach Chevonne White. “I think she’ll be a solid performer.”
White expressed the same sentiments for Jena Schroeder, who rode a 9.2 score on the beam into fourth place for that event. The coach described Schroder’s work ethic as one where she always wants to perform better by saying, “I want to try this! I want to see if I can do this again!”
Battlefield starts the season with some major setbacks in that potential state qualifier Erin Turner was out on the 16th and fourth-year member/all-star Mandy Brown is still overcoming a foot injury.
White projected that if Brown ultimately competes this year, she will not be ready until just before the playoffs.
If Brown needs any motivation to heal soon, White simply explained, “It’s her senior year.”
The coach spoke fondly of Brown and team captain Surface, teammates since their freshman year in 2006-07.
“Those two, I would really like them to go out on a good note,” said White.
For the first time ever, Battlefield starts the season as an odds-on favorite to capture a district title, given that powerhouse Osbourn Park switched from the Cedar Run District to the Cardinal District.
Battlefield finished second behind OP at districts and regions last year before coming in fourth place at states.
“I take it one week at a time,” said White, later adding her ultimate goal is “for them to qualify as a team for states.”
Loudoun Valley is set to provide the Bobcats with their main competition as Stonewall Jackson is still in a rebuilding mode of sorts. Three Vikings earned at least one top-three finish Dec. 16, a feat all-arounder Michaela Paschal pulled off three times.
Brentsville District freshman Kelly McKay left undoubtedly the biggest mark on the scene though, by capturing the all-around title, scoring 36.05 points, averaging just over nine points per event.
She ran away with a win on the vault (9.8 points) by performing the complicated Yurchenko.
According to the Web site Gymnasticszone.com, the stunt consists “of a roundoff onto the springboard, then a back handspring-like movement onto the vault, followed by some type of back somersaulting movement off of the vault table.”
McKay, who also took top-honors on the bars (9.1) and placed sixth on beam (9.05), said she wants to represent Brentsville well enough to bring the school “back into the gambit.”
In fact, she was the only gymnast all night to earn multiple scores higher than a 9.0, gathering three of them.
A gymnast since age 3, McKay had to speak with school administration officials just to be able to travel and participate, since Brentsville generally does not field a gymnastics program.
Even though she is a clubber at GMS Gymnastics in Manassas, McKay said this is where she belongs.
“I (knew) I wanted to do high school ever since I was really little,” she said.
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