Building blocks for the future

The Rhinelander High School gymnastics team might struggle to be in team or individual podium contention today and tomorrow during the WIAA state meet in Wisconsin Rapids, but that’s not the point for this young group of Hodags.

For Rhinelander, the reward is simply making it to state for just the seventh time in school history and first time since 2005. 

Junior Alexis Smith got a taste of the state meet two years ago when she qualified on the vault. She’ll be back in that event tomorrow during the individual competition, joining freshman Marsadies Williams, who qualified on uneven bars and balance beam, and junior Emiline Hintz, who made it on beam and in the individual all-around.

Coach Kristina Aschenbrenner said the goal for her team will simply to be to soak in the experience during today’s team competition and tomorrow’s individual events. 

“It’s really hard to enjoy the moment. So that’ll be the goal, is just to be able to enjoy it and try to do some good routines that we feel good about,” she said.

On paper, the scores from last Friday sectional in Antigo ranked among the lowest in Division 2. As a result the Hodags face a bit of an uphill climb, seeded 10th of the 10 teams who qualified for state in Division 2, despite posting a season-best score of 127.125. Marshfield is the favorite after scoring 142.175 at sectionals, four teams in the field scored 140 or higher and 13 teams from other sectionals had scores higher than Rhinelander but are not competing today because the field is made up of the two best teams from each sectional.

In tomorrow’s individual events, there’s only one Hodag ranked inside the top 20 in an event. That’s Smith, whose sectional-winning vault of 8.7 is tied for 18th best. 

To that end, the Hodags know the next two days will be a learning experience.

“We’re going into tough competition,” coach Aschenbrenner said. “We’re already going in with a lower base of scores, but that’s OK. Again, look at where we were three years ago and what we’ve done the last couple years. We’re gonna continue to build on that.”

The Hodags will also look to build on their togetherness, a bond that has helped the team prevail over injuries and adversity to achieve things Rhinelander gymnasts haven’t done in years — if not decades. 

“This opportunity is gonna help us grow as a team because it’s not only about individual accomplishment. We accomplished this as a team,” Smith said. “Everyone on our team competed varsity at some point this year and contributed to us winning conference, and then sectionals, and now we’re going to state. And I think this is going to help bring us together as a team because we get to experience this together.”

Here are five storylines going into the meet.

Past experience

    Rhinelander’s Alexis Smith high-fives coach Kristina Aschenbrenner following her uneven bars routine at a WIAA Division 2 sectional meet in Antigo Friday, Feb. 27. Smith is the only gymnasts for the Hodags who has previously competed at the WIAA state meet. (Brett LaBore/Lakeland Times)
  

Smith said she’s going to lean on her past experience two years ago at state when, as an alternate, she was able to compete on vault when one of the qualifiers from her sectional was unable to compete. 

She finished 24th on the vault that year with a score of 7.983 and said the biggest advice she has for her teammates is to live in the moment. 

“You really just got to take it all in,” she said. “It’s a crazy opportunity and we are all so lucky to be able to go. You got to have fun. Watch the other girls from the bigger schools, especially watching the D1 schools are really fun. Preparing for it, you just gotta keep your mindset up. You gotta stay happy, excited, pumped up, going into it. And then just have fun when you’re there.”

Coach Aschenbrenner said the pace and the tenor of state is unlike other meets through out the season. Apart from the large crowd and the pressure, there’s something going on almost constantly as Division 1 and 2 compete simultaneously in the Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School fieldhouse. 

“Being on the floor doing that, it’s quite an experience,” she said. “It feels rushed, and you’re being pushed through a pipeline.”

Junior June Chiamulera can relate. Though she’ll be making her state gymnastics debut today on the vault during the team competition, she’s no stranger to the state atmosphere. That’s because she’s been a part of three WIAA state girls’ swim meets in her career — including the Hodags’ state championship run in 2023. She said while the sports and venues are different, the mindset remains the same.

“It seems like it would be something so high-pressure, but once you’re there, it’s really all just muscle memory and it’s supposed to be so much fun,” she said. “Yeah, you want to do your best, but it’s also more about showing off that this is the final thing I’m doing and I am one of the best in the state, and I am excited to show everyone what made me the best in the state.”

Double duty

Even though she is competing at state for the first time, Hintz is going to be extremely busy over the next two days in Wisconsin Rapids. She’ll compete in all four events for the Hodags today in the team competition and turn around and do it again tomorrow as a qualifier in the individual all-around — the first Hodag to have that honor since Elle Spiegelhoff in 2013. 

“My goal for this weekend is to just have fun, take everything in, realize that we do have it in us and we made it here for a reason. It’s going to be exciting to show it off to everybody,” she said.

Hintz is doing it all, and posting some of the best scores of her career, despite nursing a heel injury. 

“She’ll need to take a break after Saturday 100%,” coach Aschenbrenner said. “She’s tough. She’s not gonna give anything away. We had a downgrade a couple of her things — like her front tuck, front tuck pass on floor — because having that brace on her heel just, it wouldn’t give her the spring that she needed to do that pass. She takes her braces off for beam because she can’t feel the beam and have that feel that she needs to do beam. It definitely affects her and I would say she’s not at 100%. If she was at 100%, she would be probably the No. 2 all-around, coming out of sectionals, but she’s gonna throw some great stuff, regardless. She’s super tough, but definitely you’ll need a break after this.”

Hintz comes into tomorrow’s events with the 23rd-best score in the field in the all-around from sectionals (32.325) and the 21st-best score on balance beam (8.675).

Freshmen debut

Marsadies Williams will also have two days of competition for Rhinelander, having qualified for balance beam and uneven bars in tomorrow’s individual meet.

Williams comes in ranked 25th in both of her events after scoring 7.975 on the beam and 7.325 on the bars. Much like the team, Williams said her goal is to soak in the experience.

“My goals are probably just have fun with everyone and try to support everyone the best I can and really like cherish this, since I only have like one year left with all basically the whole entire team,” she said.

Williams will be joined by freshman Payton Walentowski, who stepped into the lineup after Karly Gillingham sustained a season-ending upper body injury and is slated to lead off the Hodags on floor exercise today in the team portion of the meet.

“I’m just really happy that I get an opportunity like this to compete with all of these girls and, I just really hope that we get down there, we all have a great time and we show the other teams who we are and that we just have fun with our routines,” she said.

Team competition

    Rhinelander’s Addison Fish performs her floor exercise routine at a WIAA Division 2 sectional meet in Antigo Friday, Feb. 27. Fish is slated to compete in all four events during today’s team portion of the WIAA state meet in Wisconsin Rapids. (Brett LaBore/Lakeland Times)
  

Two others will be getting their first crack at state during the team competition in sophomore Addison Fish and junior Sam Aschenbrenner. 

Fish, who posted four solid routines and a 31.15 in the all-around at sectionals said she’s excited for a chance to perform on the state’s biggest stage. 

“I’m just really grateful that we get this opportunity. We’ve all worked so hard for it and it’s really showing that it pays off,” she said. “Even if we don’t place, like we still get to try our best and get another week of practice altogether and get the opportunity to bond more as a team.”

That sentiment was echoed by Sam Aschenbrenner, coach Aschenbrenner’s daughter, who is slated to compete on uneven bars and balance beam today.

“My goal is to go to state and have a really fun time with my teammates, because this is our last meet for this season together,” she said. “Then next year’s senior year, so you don’t know how many more opportunities you’ve got.”

Even if not called into action today, alternate Olivia Ruetz said she’s ready to enjoy the moment to the fullest. 

“My goal is just to cheer on the team and have fun down there and support everyone the best I can,” she said.

Building for future

However the weekend turns out for the team, coach Aschenbrenner said the goal is to learn from the meet, what other gymnasts are doing, and gear up for another run at state next year. That’s a definite possibility considering there are no seniors on the team and everyone competing this weekend is slated to return.

“This year is just to go in there, get the experience. We don’t have any seniors. We’re all gonna be back next year, ready to do this again, bigger and better,” she said.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].