SUQUAMISH — The North Kitsap and Kingston high school gymnastics teams are both growing, but in different ways.
For North Kitsap, much of the growth is in numbers. The team has doubled in size since last year, expanding from nine girls to 18 this season. Head Coach Kris Goodfellow said the increased interest may have something to do with the team’s recent successes. Last year, the girls went to the state tournament as a team for the first time in school history, and finished strong.
“Finishing seventh in state last year probably has a little bit to do with it,” Goodfellow said.
North Kitsap also sent two of its returning gymnasts — Melissa Kunold and McKenna Elves — to state as individual competitors last year. It was Kunold’s third trip to the tourney, and Elves’ second.
Both gymnasts hope to return to the state competition this season, held Feb. 19-20.
The pair finished at the top of the standings at a season-opening meet versus Kingston High Dec. 12. Kunold placed first overall, with 32.55 points, and Elves took second with 31.9 points. Teammate Lauren Wageman was third with 29.85 points.
Each meet includes four events: the uneven bars, floor routine, vault and balance beam. Maximum scores for each event vary depending on the routine chosen. A handspring on the vault, for example, is worth 8.8 points if done perfectly. Some bar routines are relatively simple and are only worth five points maximum. The floor routines Kunold and Elves perform are worth 10 points if completed perfectly.
But even the relatively simple routines require years of strength and flexibility training to master. A quote written on the wall at Zero Gravity Athletics in Suquamish, where the gymnasts compete, compares gymnastics to football.
“If gymnastics were easy, it would be called football,” it reads.
Goodfellow admits both sports are tough, but says they have some distinct differences.
“Football players don’t go out on the field in basically a swimsuit to be subjectively judged,” Goodfellow said.
Kunold added, “It’s definitely a different kind of hard. With gymnastics, you have to have that self-confidence. It’s not an easy sport, as some people think it is.”
For Kingston, much of the team’s growth has to do with the experience level of its gymnasts. This year’s team includes one junior, four sophomores and four freshmen. Team captain Dana VanWyck, the lone junior, returns this year after going to state in the vault, floor and uneven bars events last season. Many of the other gymnasts on the team are still on the upward arc of the learning curve.
Head Coach Sheila Moore said many of the girls are better and more confident than they were one year ago, when they began their first season as a team. Two years ago, the Kingston gymnasts competed as part of the North Kitsap High team.
“The ability level they have this year is better,” Moore said. “After having a year under their belt, they realize they’re not going to get hurt if they stay focused.”
Moore said she expects at least a few girls from the Kingston team to qualify for the district tournament in February. She said sophomore Tori Gerken and freshman Megan Keller in particular are already showing promise after the season’s opening meet against North Kitsap Dec. 12.
“We have some time to work and build on the raw talent they have,” Moore said of the team.
VanWyck hopes for a repeat appearance at state, and this time would like to qualify for the all-around competition. To reach that goal, she must improve her performance in her toughest event — the balance beam. VanWyck narrowly missed a chance to qualify for state on the beam last season. She said the event remains a challenge because it makes her nervous.
“I get really shaky, and staying on a 4-inch beam is not the first thing I want to do,” she said.
