The TJ gymnasts are very optimistic about the season to come.
Photo by Suprina Williams
The Thomas Jefferson Gymnastics team hopes to continue to improve its skills this year, starting with their first meet against Ponderosa on September 9th, 2010. “It looks really fun. I decided to join the team since my friends are on the team,” says freshmen, Kendra Lehman.
Gymnastics here at TJ has had a challenging past, but the team seems to be continuously improving with each year. Four years ago the team had a score in the low 70’s, but since then they have increased their score impressively. Last year the team total score was 117, a clear leap of improvement that deserves applause. Last year nine girls went to state. “We are a young and an inexperienced team, although our top two competitors should be going to state this year hopefully, as well as others,” said the 4th year Coach, Tim Hardy, who said the team has much work to do, but the ladies have been working on it since the beginning of August. One may see them practicing Monday through Friday at 3:15.
This season the gymnastics ladies will be in for a bit of change; the tactics used this year will take a different approach than in the past years. Although the team is mostly new and inexperienced, the team has been known to pull it together, and unite as a strong force. “[I’m] pretty nervous, but we will do well this year. There is a lot more girls on the team this year,” says 4th year gymnast, Heather Zink. The team this year will also be coordinating how to share players with cheerleading, a system that could benefit both programs in the long haul. The best idea for the gymnasts is the cooperation and willingness to trade skills with the cheerleading program.
