GIRLS GYMNASTICS PREVIEW: Westosha representatives bring experience to Kenosha Combined

Westosha Central senior Megan Zeller performs an uneven bars routine during a Kenosha Combined Gymnastics practice at Scamps Gymnastics in Kenosha (Jason Arndt/The Report).

By Jason Arndt
Editor

Kenosha Combined Gymnastics coach Melissa Olson, who brings back a largely youthful, but dominant squad, views two Westosha Central seniors as catalysts entering the 2018-19 season.

The two catalysts are Megan Zeller, who finished ninth in the vault at the WIAA Division state gymnastics meet last season, and classmate Katy Farrell.

“I have high expectations for both Megan and Katy,” Olson said. “They are our only seniors this year and they play a large role in motivating the team.”

In the vault, Zeller garnered multiple honors as a junior, including Southeast Conference first team recognition along with finishing third at the conference meet and Waukesha West sectional.

Zeller was not limited to the vault, however, as she placed 10th in all-around competition with a total score of 34.7 at sectionals.

“Megan will do well on vault, as well as the other events,” Olson said. “Megan can be an all around gymnast and has been working hard on improving her bars.”

Farrell, meanwhile, has spent early season practices working on a new vaulting technique and pushing herself on the balance beam and floor exercise.

Olson believes the new techniques can pay off for Farrell.

“Other than leading the team and being a positive influence on her teammates Katy has the opportunity to show her strengths on vault, beam, and floor this year,” Olson said.

“Katy has been working on a new vault as well as increasing her difficulty on beam and floor.”

Youthful dominance
Along with Zeller, Kenosha Combined sent two other athletes to the state meet, sophomores Grace Corcoran and Maggie Losch.

Losch, of Kenosha Indian Trail, placed fourth in all-around, first in floor exercise, second in vault and fifth in uneven bars as a freshman at sectionals. She later earned SEC first team honors in all-around.

For Corcoran, also of Indian Trail, she took fourth in floor exercise and was named to the SEC first team for the uneven bars.

Tremper’s Angelina Riley, an SEC first team honoree on the balance beam, and Hannah Rose, of Lakeview, are also returning to the team.

Slim margin
Collectively, including the Westosha Central seniors, Kenosha Combined finished third at the Waukesha West sectionals with a total score of 140.175, just 1.375 points from second place Burlington co-op to qualify as a team.

Olson, however, said her athletes have worked on more difficult routines to make a return trip to state as group.

“This year we’ve been working on it all. We are working on being more consistent and raising our difficulty on certain events,” Olson said.

This season, meanwhile, might be the last time Kenosha Combined Gymnastics could qualify because of a WIAA rule change.

The rule change, which takes effect in 2019-20, bars co-op gymnastics programs consisting of more than two schools from team state competition, but athletes can still qualify for individual state.

The WIAA cites total enrollment as one of the driving forces behind the decision and could force co-op programs to break apart.

Olson, like other area coaches, said the WIAA decision puts her program, among others, in a difficult position.

Despite the decision, Olson remains focused on the current season, where she wants to steer the team to a state appearance.

“The WIAA rule change definitely doesn’t benefit our team, but I am trying to not think about it this year and just focus on what we can do to make it state,” she said.

Like Kenosha Combined Gymnastics, the Burlington co-op program, which includes Wilmot, is also in the same situation.

Burlington co-op coach Andrea Chart recently gave her opinion on the matter, saying the new rule will hurt her program and programs around the state, which already compete with club gymnastics and other high school sports for athletes, facilities and respect.

“I understand that some type of change needed to happen to even out the playing field as co-op schools were becoming more and more dominant, however, they were co-ops for a reason,” Chart said. “Not one school in our co-op out of the five could be a stand-alone school because of budget, space, or enrollment numbers.”


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