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Lee Embraced Role of Sole Captain for Valley Gymnastics

Being named the captain for this year’s Valley gymnastics team was an honor for Melanie Lee, although she didn’t see it as just an honorary position. As the only senior on a young Warriors’ squad, Melanie embraced her role, as well as the multitude of responsibilities that came with her captaincy.

“I helped the girls with their routines, gave advice on how to better their scores, and helped resolve any issues they had. I also learned the rulebook, so I could help in that area if they had any questions, and tried to get the younger gymnasts more comfortable because high school meets and practice are a big adjustment,” Melanie says. “When I was a freshman, Maggie Calamari picked me up and encouraged me and I love that the girls came to me this season for help, so I could teach them what I know and they can continue that in the future.”

Melanie’s love of gymnastics stemmed from watching the 2004 Summer Olympics, particularly the bars routine, and the six-year-old immediately asked her mom to sign her up for classes. Melanie started under the tutelage of owner Monica Bauer at Flip-Flop Gymnastics in Deep River, which is where she also met Valley Head Coach Carl Cavrell.

“Melanie has been with the program at Valley a solid four years and I have been working with her for longer than that. Gymnastics is a hard sport to do every year and she did that and put in a lot of work. She would surprise me with the skills she was able to get and her effort because it is a very difficult thing to do,” says Cavrell, who now coaches the Warriors with Bauer. “Melanie was a great captain for us, too. She took charge of a young, inexperienced team and helped them grow. Melanie cheered them on, helped them train, gave guidance when needed, encouragement, and was a huge help to our coaching staff.”

For the recent season, Melanie averaged an 8.1 in the vault, 6.6 on the bars, 7.3 on the beam, and 7.05 for the floor routine. What she enjoys most about gymnastics is its difficulty and the challenging aspects of the sport. To succeed as a gymnast, one needs to be a perfectionist who works diligently on technique and form, in addition to possessing exceptional athleticism, and Melanie owns each of these characteristics.

The culmination of Melanie’s gymnastics career at Valley came on Feb. 18, when the team honored her on Senior Night. Melanie was recognized for her abilities, commitment, and leadership, and she also impressed in her final high school meet by taking third place in the vault with an 8.10 against an excellent Haddam-Killingworth/Hale-Ray/Coginchaug co-op squad.

“Senior Night was my favorite meet ever. I could really feel the love the team created for me. My teammates were so supportive and made it the best experience,” she says. “I love high school gymnastics because everyone cheers so much for each other. This season, we had such a young team, but they were really skilled and were amazing teammates.”

Now that her time with the Warriors has concluded, Melanie is looking forward to finishing her senior year and moving on to college, where she plans to study pre-med. The high honors student spends her off time interning at the Shoreline Medical Clinic and loves to learn there every chance she gets. Melanie has also volunteered as a peer advocate, an experience she found extremely rewarding.

“She is a very nice person and I like Melanie a lot. She works hard in the gym, is very dedicated and intelligent, and gives the same effort to her other activities,” Coach Cavrell says. “Losing her is a big loss for the program. Gymnastics is a family and, after years of coaching her and knowing her, it’s like seeing your own kid go off to college. She also babysat for me for years. I have four boys [aged 4 through 11] and, if she can handle them, Melanie can handle anything.”

Melanie would like to continue with gymnastics in college if time permits and the school she attends has an intramural team. For now, though, her focus is on the end of her tenure at Valley Regional and she appreciates all the people who’ve helped her through the past four years.

“I have to thank my parents. Gymnastics is a huge commitment and my mom came to every meet,” Melanie says. “I’d also like to thank my teammates and all my coaches, especially coaches Bauer and Cavrell, for putting up with me. They were like my other parents.”