NORTH END — The North Kitsap and Kingston High gymnasts’ scores and skill levels are soaring to new heights. This year the Bucs and Vikings have separate teams. Kingston welcomes nine gymnasts up from last year’s three and North also with nine is down a little, as 10 girls graduated.

Both teams practice five days a week, two hours each day, and both coaches are very impressed with the young women they get to work with.

Sheila Moore, KHS’ coach, said every meet the girls are “coming up.” On Monday the Bucs and Vikings competed against each other and Kingston posted a team score of 73.625, with one of its key all-around competitors, Tori Gerken, missing.

“If we had her we would’ve had our highest team score so far,” Moore said. “We’ve come up every meet.”

It’s the same for North’s flippers and pirouetters. Against Kingston the Vikings posted a team score of 153.625 points, up from a Jan. 16 competition score of 151.

“The goal is always to see the scores escalate with room for improvement and that’s been happening so far and I’m very happy with that,” said North’s head coach Kris Goodfellow.

Kingston is a young squad and only junior Dana Van Wyck has any prior gymnastics experience. Moore hopes the team learns the values of setting goals and achieving them and having positive attitudes. But for Van Wyck and Gerken, Moore would like to see them compete at the district level. Van Wyck’s individual event scores are right in the mix with last year’s 3A district qualifying cutoffs and Gerken has some work to do, but Moore said she’s a natural athlete and a trip to districts is within her ability.

North is led by two senior state returners, Melissa Kunold and McKenna Elves. Elves qualified last year for state on bars and floor and Kunold last year went for bars and vault.

Goodfellow said both girls should make it to state again and Briana Bohl and Lauren Wageman could also qualify for all four events, as long as they stay healthy. But with North having dropped down to a 3A school this year, Goodfellow said the entire team could go to state. Three schools and 14 athletes are eligible to qualify for postseason at the 3A level, whereas 4A only sends two teams and four individuals.

“I think we’ll make it into districts as one of three schools and out of districts into state as one of the three schools, hopefully.”

Competition results:

On Monday the Bucs hosted the Vikings to an inter-district dual meet at Zero Gravity. North claimed team honors with 153.625 points and Kingston finished with 73.625 points.

Vault: first, NK Melissa Kunold, 8.7; second, NK McKenna Elves 8.6; third, NK Bryana Bohl, 8.525; fourth, NK Lauren Wageman, 8.5; and fifth, KHS Dana VanWyck 8.45.

Beam: first, Elves 8.575; second, Kunold 8.525; third, VanWyck 7.925; fourth, Bohl 7.725; and fifth, Wageman 7.225.

Bars: first, Kunold 7.9; second, Elves 7.2; third, Wageman 6.9; fourth, Bohl 6.5; and fifth, VanWyck 6.25.

Floor: first, tie Elves and Wageman 8.85; third, Bohl 8.6; fourth, Kunold 8.55; and fifth, VanWyck 7.65.

All-Around: first, Kunold 33.675; second Elves 33.225; third, Wageman 31.475; and fourth, Bohl 31.35.

On Saturday Kingston travels to Port Angeles. Kingston won’t compete at home again.

On Jan. 17 the Vikings gymnastics team traveled to Shorewood for a five-way competition with Bainbridge, Kingston, Shorewood, Shorecrest and Central Kitsap. The Vikes added seven points to the team total to finish second with 151 points. Bainbridge won, 165.3 and Kingston placed last with 22.8 points.

Vault: third, Kunold, 8.7; and 10th, Bohl 8.4.

Bars: second, Kunold,7.6; and fifth, Elves, 7.0.

Beam: fourth, Kunold, 8.1; eighth, Elves, 7.95; and ninth, Bohl, 7.8.

Floor: first, Elves, 9.5; and second, Kunold, 9.4.

All Around: second, Kunold, 33.8; and fifth, Elves, 32.55.

On Wednesday the Vikings traveled to Kent Meridian and placed first out of four teams with a score of 152.8.

Vault: second, Kunold, 8.75; fifth, Wageman, 8.3; and eighth, Elves, NK, 8.1.

Bars: third, Kunold, 8.0; fourth, Bohl, 7.3; and fifth, Elves, 7.2.

Beam: second, Elves, 9.0; fourth, Kunold, 8.75; and fifth, Bohl, 8.4.

Floor: fifth, Kunold, 8.4; sixth, Bohl, 8.4; and seventh, Wageman, 8.2.

All Around: third, Kunold, NK, 33.9; fourth, Bohl, 32.1; fifth, Elves, 31.8; and sixth, Wageman,30.9.

North won’t compete at home again this season.