March 27, 2023 at 9:06 a.m.
Team review: RHS gymnastics
Low numbers plagued Hodags during season
Team review: RHS gymnastics
As a result, team goals were hard to come by. Rhinelander had fewer than the minimum number of gymnasts required to get a complete team score in the majority of their meets this season. As Aschenbrenner tries to build a more connected program between the YMCA/youth, middle school and high school levels, she hopes this year was the darkest hours before the dawn.
"We knew going into the season this would be a challenging year, with changes in coaching and joint practices (with the middle and high schools teams)," Aschenbrenner said. "We also knew it would be a small team, but we didn't anticipate how small."
Here are five storylines from the recently completed season.
Early season
Numbers slowly dwindled as the season progressed. The team started with seven gymnasts. That number was whittled to six by the first meet and, due to injuries or other factors, Rhinelander never had more than four gymnasts compete in any meet.
As a result, the team's first meet of the season also ended up being its best, in terms of team score. Rhinelander scored a 100.35 in the Snowflake Invite at the Hodag Dome Dec. 17. The Hodags were able to compile a full team score only once more during the season - a 97.5 in a triangular Jan. 5 at Lakeland.
Schedule changes
Injuries and other circumstances essentially wiped away Rhinelander's freshman class - leaving the Hodags with only three available gymnasts by season's end. Because off the low numbers, Rhinelander lost scheduled home meets to Wisconsin Rapids and Antigo in January and pulled out of an invite at Marshfield in early February.
Rhinelander ended up going three weeks between meets during that stretch -with no meets between the Wisconsin Rapids Invite Jan. 7 and the Julie Langseth Memorial in Antigo Jan. 28. There were a number of practice canceled as well due to inclement weather.
"The last few weeks have been slow going with a mix of injury recovery, illness, canceled practices due to weather, and a canceled meet," Aschenbrenner said following the Langseth Memorial. "Due to lack of practices we haven't been able to compete the new skills the girls have been working on."
Lack of depth
Senior Leta Cole, junior Leighann Hoople and sophomore Wendy Fronk were the three who saw the season through to the end.
Fronk ended up as Rhinelander's top gymnast in a number of events toward the end of the season. She finished 14th in the all-around at the GNC meet and was 21st at sectionals. Cole was not far behind - 15th and 22nd, respectively, in the all-around at conference and sectionals. Cole was also consistently Rhinelander's top performer on uneven bars. She was 12th at conference and 23rd at sectionals in the event - which was Rhinelander's top individual event finish in both meets.
Hoople came along late in the season as a first-year gymnast, eventually able to compete in all four events.
"I want to thank Leta, Wendy and Leighann for their hard work, dedication to the sport and to their team. We were not short in team spirit and support," Aschenbrenner said.
Close at the end
The lack of numbers meant the Hodags finished last in the GNC Small this season, but the Hodags did nearly get by division rival Lakeland on a couple of occasions, finishing a tenth of a point behind the short-handed T-Birds in Minocqua Jan. 5 and at sectionals.
Overall, Aschenbrenner said she was pleased with how her team performed at sectionals to end the season.
"All three gymnasts completed each event, with vault being the highlight with all three having strong vaults," she said. "Leta had a very nice bar routine and despite one fall on beam had her best beam for the year. Wendy also had a great beam except for one fall. Leighann improved her scores in all areas."
What's next
Cole is the only one of the three to graduate and with a handful of eighth graders set to move up from the middle school program the Hodags are hopeful that struggling to complete a team score will be a thing of the past starting in 2023-24.
Aschenbrenner said she's hopeful that things will start to build for the team, noting strong numbers at the middle school level and long-term stability with the YMCA of the Northwoods soon concluding its second year of hosting a competitive youth gymnastics program. Furthermore, she said there are plans to hold a meeting next month for current and potential future stakeholders within the program.
"We hope to pull together anyone interested in growing the Rhinelander Gymnastics program," she said. "We need to build our support system: coaches, judges, meet organizers, folks to cut floor music, help with choreography, weightlifting and flexibility trainers, etc. As little as one hour a week or our weekend a year, it will help."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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