February 22, 2021 at 8:06 a.m.
Bishop qualifies for state gymnastics
Bishop qualifies for state gymnastics
The Rhinelander senior scored an 8.0 in the event on Thursday night and, when the chalk dust settled, extended her high school career by nine days.
Bishop's beam routine was good enough for fourth place overall, and a berth in the WIAA Division 2 state meet this Saturday in Onalaska. It was the highlight for the Hodag gymnasts who placed fourth in a nine-team sectional at the Hodag Dome.
Bishop went out with a bang in her final home meet. She added a career-high in the all-around of 31.55 points to finish 10th overall. She also added a personal-best score on uneven bars.
Bishop's top event all season has been floor exercise. So to qualify for state on balance beam was a surprise to say the least.
"It really wasn't what I was expecting," she said. "I knew the qualifying score for beam was already pretty low because I was paying really close attention ... My highest beam score before today was a 7.9, so I knew I could have possibly made it, but it's still surprising. It's really surprising for me."
Added coach Heather Sturtevant, "When we were hoping, praying, fingers crossed, what might be the apparatus (on which we would qualified for state), beam was not it. But she just nailed it. It was awesome, just blew her other scores out of the water."
At sectional time, balance beam can turn into a matter of attrition, with each fall scoring a half-point deduction. Only three gymnasts in the afternoon session of the sectional meet cracked the 8.0 mark. Bishop's score ended up being the highest of the evening session and got her into the state meet as one of the top five in the event with 0.075 points to spare.
"I think the beam ate a lot of teams today, even us," Sturtevant said.
Bishop admitted that her 90-second dance with destiny started "a bit shaky."
"My mount was not the way I really wanted it to go and then my first jump I kind of stumbled," she said. "But then, I'm just like, 'focus.' I did the rest of my clean beam routine, I guess."
Bishop ended up being Rhinelander's top scorer in three of the four events, though beam was the only event in which she was in contention for a state spot. She placed 12th on the floor exercise (8.3), 14th in uneven bars (7.15) and 19th on the vault (8.1). The 31.55 score in the all-around marked the first time she finished in the 31s overall, beating her personal best of 30.9 set five days prior at the GNC Small meet.
"I came in (going) for broke, I guess. I was like, 'You know what, if I make it, I make it. If I don't, that's all right," Bishop said. "I'm really excited about the way today went. Obviously, floor didn't go perfectly for me, but, overall, I got a personal best on bars, I got a personal best on beam and then a personal best all-around. It was just really exciting for me."
Bishop qualified for the state meet for the first time, and is Rhinelander's first state qualifier since 2018 when Stephanie Kuester qualified on floor exercise and Raven Sturtevant made it on uneven bars. Bishop was Rhinelander's first state qualifier on balance beam since Megan Thornton in 2013. Elle Spiegelhoff also competed on beam at state that year after qualifying in the all-around.
"Personal best and being able to go, we thought it was going to be her last meet, here at home, as a senior," Heather Sturtevant said. "It's just super exciting. She's been working so hard for years to get to this place. It's really awesome."
While Bishop's career will continue, things came to an end for Rhinelander's two other seniors, Bridget Koser and Julia Burke. Koser finished 20th in the all-around with a 22.925 and Burke was 33rd in her only event, balance beam (6.1).
"Overall, I think all the girls felt pretty good about their performances," coach Sturtevant said. "It's always sad to have it be your last one. We have two others seniors that now they are done today but, all in all, I think they did really well. I'm so proud of them this season. They've really worked hard."
Freshman Alexa Lukes placed 16th in the all-around for Rhinelander with a 29.975. She was also Rhinelander's top finisher on the vault (10th, 8.3).
The Hodags had a goal of 120 for the meet. Though they didn't get there, they still finished within an eighth of a point of their season high of 119.475 set at the GNC meet.
"We were really hoping to make that 120, didn't quite, but still had a lot of really good showings," coach Sturtevant said. "We had team high on bars which is where we have usually struggled more, but the girls are really cleaning things up."
Medford scored a 132.85 to win the meet by more than six points over second-place Ashland. Both schools advanced to the team portion of Saturday's Division 2 state meet. The top five and ties in each individual event, and the all-around, advanced individually. The Raiders took 11 of the 25 individual qualifying spots up for grabs, followed by Ashland with five and Antigo with four.
Ashland's Caite McPherson won the individual all-around with a score of 34.075.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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