December 8, 2021 at 2:06 p.m.
Team Preview: RHS Gymnastics
New-look squad seeks to improve throughout season
Team Preview: RHS Gymnastics
Rhinelander graduated three seniors off a squad that was the runner-up in the GNC Small division and placed fourth in its WIAA Division 2 sectional. The team also had a couple of other athletes pursue other opportunities this winter.
All of that has coach Heather Sturtevant viewing this as a rebuilding year of sorts. In that vein, she said she's taking more of an individual approach to the team this year - focusing more on personal growth than team results.
"We're going to take it one meet at a time, one practice at a time," she said. "We want to see increased scores, increased skills, getting that extra bonus, getting that higher starting value, to that the girls know they are improving."
The challenge for this year's squad begins with replacing its top two performers in the all-around from a season ago as Lilli Bishop - a state qualifier on balance beam - and Bridget Koser both graduated. The team also graduated balance beam starter Julia Burke.
In addition, Emma Chiamulera switched from gymnastics to girls' hockey this year while Genna Fugle did not go out for the team. That makes a total of 12 starting spots that the Hodags have to replace in the four events.
That leaves starting spots from last year accounted for. Of those, seven were occupied by junior Payton Rudawski and sophomore Alexa Lukes, who both return.
Lukes was particularly strong on vault last year, leading the team in that event in six of its nine competitions. She was the team's third all-arounder, with Bishop and Koser this year, posting a high score of 30.575 at the GNC meet.
Rudawski, meanwhile, was a three-event starter for the Hodags, had a season-best of 8.2 on vault and was the team's top scorer on balance beam at the GNC meet.
Sturtevant noted that Rudawski has added uneven bars to her repertoire in an effort to be an all-arounder. Lukes is also expected to compete on all four events, provided she stays healthy.
"They are our seasoned veterans," Sturtevant said. "Payton's doing a really nice job of helping the girls with skills and how to practice routines, not just go work on one skill for awhile, but actually the whole (routine). (Lukes) is having some back issues that when they flare, she can't do much, but then there are days that she's doing great. We're going to have to play that by ear."
The only other returning varsity starter from last year's sectional squad is junior Lita Cole, who competed for the team on uneven bars.
Abby Belbot returns to the team after focusing on dance last year. The team also returns a pair of sophomores in Annabelle Huff and Claire Wilberding while senior Bridget Gaffney is new to the team this year.
The Hodags will be counting on a pair of freshmen - Sophia Miljevich and Wendy Fronk - to contribute right away. Sturtevant noted both come in with extensive gymnastics backgrounds from the middle school and club ranks.
"Sophie Miljevich and Wendy Fronk are really showing some really nice skills and we definitely will be putting them in quite a few varsity rotations for sure," she said. "We'll kind of see because high school is different than middle school and club (in terms of scoring), but we're seeing a lot of nice growth with them."
It remains to be seen how many events the two will have on varsity and on JV but, with only nine athletes on the roster, everybody will likely be called upon in most if not all events - in either a varsity or JV capacity.
"Because we are small, we're going to be kind of having everybody be all-arounds," Sturtevant said. "The ladies are stepping up and trying things. We'll kind of rotate a few out here and there, seeing what our best lineup can be."
Luckily for the Hodags, the front half of the schedule is light, with only two meets during the month of December, and both of those meets take place at home.
Rhinelander hosts the 10-team Snowflake Invite tomorrow in the Hodag Dome and then will take on Medford at home Dec. 21. After the Medford meet, the team will have only one meet until Jan. 20, an invite at Wisconsin Rapids Jan. 8. From there, the intensity picks up as the team will compete nine times in a five-week span leading into WIAA sectionals Feb. 24.
Sturtevant said the last couple of weeks of practice have been used to solidify the routines the team will perform in its first two meets. Then she anticipates another period of development prior to the stretch run of the schedule.
As for the GNC Small, Medford figures to be the clear-cut favorite once again in the division. The Raiders scored a 132.6 last Saturday to win the season-opening Hot Cocoa Invite in Medford. Mosinee scored a 114.1 in that meet and will likely be Rhinelander's competition for the runner-up spot in the conference. Lakeland has improved numbers this year and figures to be able to fill a starting lineup in most, if not all, of the events. Chequamegon has folded its gymnastics program due to low numbers.
"Really they're competing against themselves, not each other," Sturtevant said of her team's mindset. "Then we'll see where that shakes out in the conference."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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