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04/20/2020 12:00 AMThe Valley Regional gymnastics team made great strides this past winter with an inexperienced squad of young athletes. The Warriors did not feature a single upper-class athlete on the roster, yet were able to claim victory in the Shoreline Conference Championship meet this year thanks to steady performances from sophomores and freshmen. Valley battled injuries, yet still persevered for a successful season.
Head Coach Monica Bauer wasn’t sure what to expect from such a small group with the most experienced gymnast being sophomore captain Erin Ward. Even then, Valley lost Ward to injury at the halfway point of the season. Many of Bauer’s athletes were learning on the job so to speak. Coach Bauer was impressed with the results the Warriors posted under difficult circumstances.
“Our most experienced athlete Erin wasn’t able to compete for us about midway through the season. On the bright side, that allowed some of our younger and more inexperienced athletes to step up to the plate and make an impact,” said Bauer. “As a team, everyone is super supportive of each so that’s great. That goes a long way. In gymnastics you’re on the spot and under pressure, and it has to count at that moment. So support is key.”
Valley’s biggest moment this year came in when the Warriors claimed the Shoreline crown. Bauer had already felt the Warriors were performing way above expectations for their experience level, but to come away from Shorelines with a banner was a big accomplishment. Valley scored 111.95 points in the meet on Feb.7 and needed every bit that their athletes were able to provide.
“That was the icing on the cake for sure. What was nice about the whole season was that it got better as they went. The kids improved more as it went along,” said Bauer. “The best part of it is that when we lost Erin, the kids really brought it together and did their best at the championship meet. It’s great when the kids do it without too much pushing. They showed that they wanted it.”
Ward was the leader and the most accomplished gymnast on the Valley club. Even after her injury, Erin wouldn’t allow her circumstances to prevent her from making an impact. She increased her team engagement off the mat, and became an even stronger leader.
“Erin made sure that she came to all the practices and helped out where she could. She was always watching routines and giving pointers to other athletes. That’s really helpful. She would time routines so that I could watch them,” Bauer said. “She definitely stepped up a lot this year. From the beginning she was helpful with organization and getting info out to the kids, and she was really good going between the school and me with information. She’s a tremendous help.”
One of Valley’s top competitors this season was sophomore Grace Jacaruso. Jacaruso’s contributions became all-important with the thinning Warriors’ roster.
“Grace was awesome this year. She competed all four events. We counted on her to really help the team score. She was one of our strongest competitors this season for sure,” said Bauer. “I’ve had her in my program since she was a toddler. She’s very athletic. I think next year she’ll be a top competitor again.”
The Warriors were able to rely on a fearless freshman class to round out their team this season. One of the biggest contributors among them was Julie Hartt.
“Julie was one of the top girls. She’s really strong on bars, which is a difficult event. We were always able to count on her to bring up the team score with that,” said Bauer. “She’s an old soul. She’s so mature; like she’s been there for a while, and she knows what to expect.”
Another freshman who was pivotal to the Warriors was Kendra Cika. At the beginning of the year, she wasn’t anticipated to have a huge role, but that changed as she improved her skills.
“We were counting on her for Shorelines and for the season. She didn’t start off competing all around, but she finished that way. She grew a lot as a gymnast over the season, and her confidence grew as well as her skill set,” Bauer said. “She was willing to put forth the effort to do more skills and be involved with the team. She’s young, but we found that she was a nice asset.”
One pair of freshmen came up huge for the Warriors at Shorelines. At the beginning of the year, nobody would have imagined that freshmen Raquel Farray and Isabella Giuliano would be notching all-important scores in a conference championship, but they turned out to be linchpins in Valley’s victory.
“Raquel was the dark horse. She came in as someone who had never really done gymnastics. It’s a big deal to not have any experience and be able to compete. She really stepped up when we needed her. Getting on the floor at all is really impressive under those circumstances,” Bauer said. “It was the same for us with Isabella. We really needed her scores in Shorelines. She has some experience though and competes on our XL team. High school gymnastics are different compared to club gymnastics. The rules are very different. She adapted well to that. She’s a quiet kid, but she’s willing to put in the work, and we needed her.”
The only other possible sophomore competitor for Valley was Leah Frantz, who also had to sit out due to injury concerns. Coach Bauer believes that Frantz could have given the Warriors an even bigger boost.
“Leah is a great kid. She was unable to compete due to an injury that didn’t quite heal. She would have been an all-around competitor had she been cleared for the season,” Bauer said. “We’re hopeful that next year we can count on her for at least two or three events.”
Also helping out a lot was the team’s manager, sophomore Reagan Furgueson.
“Reagan competed years ago, but she had a knee injury, and it’s been an ongoing thing for her. She would have a good chance of re-injuring her knee if she continued, but she loves the sport and decided to be a manager,” said Bauer. “She’s so organized, and she keeps track of the scores by competition. She’s amazing.”
Coach Bauer feels excited about her team’s prospects in the coming years. With young athletes already making big strides, especially in high-pressure meets, the future is very bright for Valley.
“We’re always looking at the younger athletes in terms of what they are capable of. We encourage them to do high school gymnastics because of the team atmosphere and the recognition at the school. We can’t recruit or anything before season, but we just wait until the season starts. For instance, we didn’t know that Raquel was even interested. She was a friend of one of the girls, and they are encouraging kids who haven’t done gymnastics before to be part of the team. That will hopefully help us grow.”
The Valley gymnastics squad competes at Flip Flop Gymnastics in Deep River, which is owned and operated by Coach Bauer. Coach Bauer’s coaching staff includes fellow coach Carl Cavrell.