By Greg Farrar
Lizzy Platin, of Hazen High School, leaps high above the balance beam as part of her routine to score 5.85 during individual apparatus competition in the 3A state gymnastics championships Feb. 20 at the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall.

By Greg Farrar
Kirsten Timm, of Hazen High School, performs a handstand as part of her balance beam routine to score 7.3 during individual apparatus competition in the 3A state gymnastics championships Feb. 20 at the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall. Timm also competed on the uneven bars for a 5.8 score.

The top finishers in the preliminary round Feb. 18 advanced to the final round Feb. 19.

Miranda Jones, of Liberty, dismounts from the balance beam to earn 7.9 points during a gymnastics meet Dec. 16 against Sammamish. By Greg Farrar

Although none of the Liberty gymnasts advanced to the finals, coach Lori Copenhaver said her gymnasts performed well, especially given the pressure of being in the state championships.

“Obviously, they were a little nervous,” she said. “They just worked really hard and went in with a good attitude.”

In the preliminary round on the floor, Bergam tied for 27th with a score of 9.1, followed by Riley and Jones, who tied for 54th and 70th with scores of 8.7 and 8.45, respectively. In the event, Bergam was only .575 points out of first place.

On the vault, Riley tied for 40th with a score of 8.325, and Bergam tied for 74th with a score of 8.025

On the beam, Bergam tied for 53rd with a score of 7.85, Riley tied for 58th with a score 7.75, Sarrett placed 68th with a score of 7.475 and Jones tied for 82nd with a score of 7.05.

On the bars, Riley finished 63rd with a score of 6.45 and Sarrett finished 73rd with a score of 6.15.

Hannah Bergam, a Liberty High School student, poses last year on the balance beam while a student at Maywood Middle School. Contributed

In the past 18 months, Thiele said he met with principals, athletic directors, middle and high school gymnastic coaches, physical education teachers, students, parent groups and the district’s risk management insurance pool.

District officials ultimately decided to discontinue gymnastics because of the high equipment maintenance costs and lack of competition among middle schools in the surrounding districts, he said. 

“It’s a pretty expensive sport to operate,” he said. “Gymnastics is a sport that’s hard for a lot of school districts to maintain.”

He said that over the years, the school district has received numerous requests to add soccer teams at the middle school level.

“It was a tough decision to make,” Thiele said. “It’s too bad we can’t do both, but we had to make a choice and we think that it may increase our participation.”

The 2009-2010 season will be a transition year, meaning middle school teams will primarily play at an intramural level with league competitions. This will give each school’s team a chance to grow without the pressures of competition, Thiele said.

Hannah Bergam, a Newcastle resident, freshman member of the Liberty High School gymnastics team and a former gymnast at Maywood Middle School, said it’s a shame gymnastics is being cancelled at the middle schools.

“That is where my love for gymnastics began,” she said. “I just hope that the Liberty gymnastics program won’t suffer.” 

Bergam played soccer for several years on a club team, but switched to gymnastics after being part of the Maywood gymnastics program.

Hannah’s mother Linda Bergam said she understands the district’s decision, but is disappointed for gymnasts.

“Not only do the younger kids miss out on early exposure to school competition, but high school programs lose the farm team aspect of middle school gymnastics,” she said. “For the schools that have private gyms nearby (like Newport High School and Gymnastics East), there is a steady stream of budding gymnasts coming up the ranks. But Liberty does not have a private gym in their attendance area, so we’ll feel the consequences more.”

Moreover, students who don’t have the family resources to pay for private coaching or club team participation will not be as competitive at the high school level, she said.

Hannah van Amen, a seventh-grader at Maywood Middle School who also lives in Newcastle, applauded the district’s decision.

“Soccer is very popular among kids,” she said. “This will open the door to students who have an interest in soccer.”

Last March, Hannah was a member of the Patriots Select soccer team that won the Washington Youth Soccer Challenge at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila. Eleven of the team’s players were Maywood students. Darrell van Amen, Hannah’s father, coached the team. 

“I welcome the school district’s decision,” he said. “Of course, I have a great bias toward soccer, but it offers great cardiovascular benefits and it helps youngsters understand working with groups. The more we have our teenagers and pre-teens working for a common goal is always good.”

Here are the results for the Newcastle girls:

Ages 7-11: 

Ciera Weber, first place. Vault: 9.1, bars: 8.8, beam: 9.175, floor: 8.75, all around:  35.825. 

Laura Suddock, fifth place.  Vault: 8.8, bars: 8.0, beam: 9.175, floor: 8.9, all around:  34.875.

Ages 13 and up:

Tia Riley, 6th place. Vault: 9.0, bars: 7.8, beam: 7.8, floor: 8.55, all around: 33.15.