Lakeville continues to raise the bar in gymnastics

Lakeville continues to raise the bar in gymnastics
by Wade Petrich
Sports Editor
Posted 1/7/00

Area gymnastics teams are in full swing this season. Lakeville again has been dominating early meets, but teams like Apple Valley and Rosemount have enjoyed some early success as well.
Here is a roundup of how area teams have been doing in the first month of the season.
Lakeville wins 150th in a row
One could not blame area high school gymnastics coaches for trying to get any secrets they could from Lakeville coach Milan Mader.
Mader, who has coached the Panthers since 1977 and has a career record of 198-16, guided his team to its 150th straight victory on Tuesday against Chaska. Lakeville defeated its Lake Conference opponent 149.20-119.85.
After the meet, Lakeville thought it had surpassed the 150-point margin. But Mader said he looked over the scores that night and found out the real score was 149.20.
ЛIt was still a very good score,Н Mader said ЛWe spent a couple of weeks training during the break and have seen improvement.Н
While the Panthers once again are breezing by opponents, Mader said his team continues to look for ways to improve.
Seniors Nikki Terbilcox, Kelly Nygren and Emily Kaping have all helped lead the team this year. Terbilcox, Nygren and Jenny Braun have been putting impressive scores in the all-around, Mader said.
Against Chaska, the team had a season-high score on the floor exercise and has seen improvement in the other three events as well.
ЛOur scores are coming up,Н Mader said. ЛWe are looking for balance in all four events.Н
Lakeville will get a good test in the Faribault Invitational today (Saturday). The 16-team tournament will feature some solid teams.
Mader said his team is looking forward to the good competition.
ЛA meet like that has a lot of intensity,Н Mader said. ЛIt seems to have a positive effect on the kids.Н
Apple Valley
is on the rise
The Eagles have been seeing slow, steady progress in the early part of the season .
Coach Kim Miklya said her team got a late start, having its first meet on Dec. 11.
Apple Valley hosted a meet with Mahtomedi and St. Cloud Tech, winning the meet with 135 points.
ЛI was pleased with how they did for a first meet,Н Miklya said. ЛThere always is that first meet jitters and the girls trying new things, but it was a nice, solid start.Н
Since the first meet the team score for the Eagles has been getting higher and higher. They scored 137 points in the loss to Lakeville, 139 in a win over Chaska and they broke 140 with a fifth place finish at Brainerd.
Miklya said the gymnasts have been working hard every practice and it seems to be paying off in the meets.
ЛThey work well together and help each other in practice. There is a good chemistry on this team,Н Miklya said.
Melinda Lein has led the team once again this year. In her sixth season, Miklya said she has been a solid leader for the team.
Amy Pille and A.J. Zimmer also have been solid every meet. Pille has been second for the team in every event and Zimmer is a returning state participant.
Apple Valley also has benefited from some new talent on the team, Miklya said.
Laura Herschl has been scoring 9.45 and higher in the floor exercise, vault and balance beam this season.
ЛLaura is a hard worker. She expects great things from herself,Н Miklya.
Sophomore Sheena Lien has returned from an injury last season and has done well on the vault and floor, Miklya said.
Freshmen Tiffany Merrill, Kathy Rice and Kelly McGuiggan also have been giving the Eagles eight solid varsity gymnasts.
Miklya said the team continues to get better with each meet, but the team score is not always the indicator. She said the team focuses on individual tasks and doing their job right in every event. If Apple Valley can do the little things, the team will continue to improve.
Irish making positive strides
The Rosemount gymnastics team is off to a good start, despite low numbers in the program.
Second-year coach Jason Passeri said a few injuries have slowed the progression of the team, but right now he said things are going well.
ЛThe girls are progressing and learning new skills,НщPasseri said.
The Irish are 2-1 in the Lake Conference. They defeated Chaska and Eagan, but fell to Eden Prairie.
Passeri said team scores have been a little low early in the season, but he said the squad is shooting for 135 points.
ЛI think it is a realistic goal. The girls are shooting for that score,Н Passeri said.
The key for increasing the team score will be how the younger and new girls can improve, Passeri said. He said he has a number of young gymnasts who have not participated in the sport before, but have made good strides at the junior varsity level.
A bright spot this early in the season has been sophomore Lindsay Bridge, Passeri said. Bridge was won the all-around in all three meets.
Having one year under his belt has made this season a bit easier, Passeri said. He said the girls are familiar with his method of coaching and he has a better idea of their abilities.
Rosemount will get a big test in the Big Lake Invitational today (Saturday). Passeri said it is a 10-team meet with some quality teams competing.
Eastview has plan for success
After making it to state for the first time in the schoolМs short history, the Lightning would like to make a return trip in 2000.
But coach Tifani Shaffer said her team is not looking ahead that far. She said they have a plan in place and are taking it one step at a time.
ЛWe have the talent above and beyond what we had last year,Н Shaffer said. ЛBut we need to have the same drive we had (last year).Н
Eastview has only competed in three meets in the first month of the season. The team is 2-1 and 1-1 in the Lake Conference.
In the first meet of the new year, the Lightning fell to Eden Prairie 141.35 to 134.025 on Tuesday.
ЛWe would like to be more competitive. We would like to have more difficult routines,НщShaffer said.
With a lot of depth on the team, Eastview has had some good performances in the early meets, Shaffer said.
Seniors Erin Colford and Ginny Morgan have been finishing in the middle of the pack, but Shaffer said they have really been holding the team together with steady performances.
Ashley Maxson and Breanna Korsman have been doing well, Shaffer said. Nicole Tonjun has been building her skills too.
Newcomers Laura Gorsuch and Pooh Soukchreun also have given the team an extra lift, Shaffer said.
Eastview has some big invitationals coming up, including a 16-team meet in Faribault and a 20-team meet at Lakeville.
Shaffer said it will be a good test for her team to compete against a number of quality teams the next couple of weeks.
Farmington is looking for a win
The Tigers have seen improvement in each of their first four meets this year, but coach Heather Kath said the team still has a ways to go.
Farmington is 0-4 on the season and will be looking for a win in the new year. All of the losses have been to Missota Conference teams.
Kath said working on connects and reducing errors is something the team has been working on this season.
ЛWe have been consistent on vault and we have had a good start on the floor,Н Kath said. ЛBut every event needs to improve.Н
Individually, Kath said the girls have shown great strides early in the season., yet know there is room for improvement.
The young gymnasts have done well in the early going, Kath said. Seventh grader Kelly Pietsch has been the consistently second in the all-around for the Tigers. Junior Krista Hartley has been leading the team this season.
Farmington has geared up for a hectic schedule the first half of the month. From Jan. 6 to Feb. 15 the Tigers will have five meets. Their last meet will be a home invitational, starting at 11 p.m.
ЛWe had a nice break over the holiday to work on some things. Now we will see if it all paid off,Н Kath said.

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