Falcons’ Rau flies for Kenosha Combined

Central's Sydney Rau has been a key component on the vault for Kenosha Combined Gymnastics (Submitted).
Central’s Sydney Rau has been a key component on the vault for Kenosha Combined Gymnastics (Submitted).

Westosha Central sprinter excels at the vault

By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer

When Sydney Rau and four other Westosha Central athletes joined Kenosha Combined Gymnastics, there was no doubt they would come together, according to eighth-year coach Nikki Cooper.

Rau, a senior, has notched a handful of top five finishes in both the vault and uneven bars for a squad that won nine straight meets to start the season.

“She has definitely stepped up this year, she is a contender on all of the events,” Cooper said.

Rau made an immediate statement in the Dec. 10 season opener, where she took second with a 9.25 in the vault at Waukesha West.

“It was a shocker in our first meet where we got first place,” Rau said, noting most of the schools are in the same sectional. “It is a tough sectional to make it to state.”

For Rau, she produced three straight sixth-place finishes in the vault, and bounced back to take fourth in both the vault and uneven bars at the Jan. 9 Pam Beck Emerald Classic held at Waterford Union High School.

Rau did not envision her improvement in the uneven bars.

“I never thought I would have the skills to be on bars, but with the scores I have been getting it’s pretty cool,” said Rau, who grabbed an 8.9 at Waterford.

Along with Rau’s two fourth place finishes, Kenosha Combined compiled first- and second-place honors in the all-around competition from Mady Marko and Molly O’Boyle en route to an overall team victory.

On Jan. 19 against Franklin-Muskego-Oak Creek-Whitnall (FMOW), she took home third place to complete a team sweep in the vault.

Rau added third-place in the uneven bars and a fourth in the vault in a Feb. 4 dual meet at Mukwonago.

“Her bars have improved tremendously this year and she has always been great at the vault,” Cooper said.

The vault, Rau said, is comparable to the pole vault in track, where she is also a sprint runner on the Westosha Central team.

Last season, Rau captured first place in the 400-meter run at the May Southern Lakes Conference meet, where she also played a role in the third-place 1,600-relay squad consisting of Amanda Sabourin, Savannah Danoski and Maria Sabourin.

At the SLC meet, she cleared the bar at 9-feet in the pole vault to take fourth place.

However, her fourth place pole vault was not her best finish, with two first-place and two second-place honors in earlier meets.

“I am a good runner, which helps me a lot with both gymnastics and pole vaulting in track,” Rau said. “You have to run fast and pull your body over to land it or dismount it.”

Along with Rau, there were three other original members of the Westosha Central gymnastics squad that made the transition to Kenosha Combined Gymnastics – Lexie Biggs, Autumn Elfering and Nadia Foltz.

After the foursome moved on, Triana Rudd joined the mix.

Currently, Rau is the sole varsity member from Westosha Central to be in the mold, with Biggs making sporadic varsity appearances, mainly in the floor exercise.

“(Lexie) is a really good friend of mine, and we have done club gymnastics together,” Rau said. “She is really good at floor, her best event.”

Elfering, Rudd and Foltz are in the junior varsity ranks.

“Since we have better girls on our team, it is definitely harder on our team to get the spots, and who doesn’t,” said Rau, who noted Biggs as a contender

In its second year since the Central program dissolved, Rau said it has gotten much harder to recruit fellow students to the gymnastics team.

“It is harder for them to know gymnastics, we put a lot on ourselves to spread the word at Central and encouraging people to join,” Rau said.

Gymnastics is not new for Rau, who has been part of Kenosha-based Scamps Gymnastics Club, where she has bonded with her current teammates for more than a decade.

Furthermore, the transition has excited her, citing the team’s top five ranking in Wisconsin.

“It feels pretty awesome to be a part of this team, and on varsity, especially on vault,” Rau said. “Some on the team right now, are the ones that I did club with since I was little, so I get to be with them again.”

Cooper agreed, stating that some have been together since they were as young as 18 months old.

“There was no doubt in my mind that they would come together,” Cooper said.


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