Published: Jan. 28, 2015
Shot of reality
Spartans take control of WLT
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News
Despite West Bend West’s improvement throughout an
injuryriddled season, the Spartans still lacked confidence.
They got it in unexpected fashion from an unexpected source:
Bailey Wagner.
On Tuesday, that confidence led the Spartans to a
129.3-127.725 victory over rival West Bend East, the Spartans’ top contender
for the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference championship this season.
Now the Spartans are starting to believe they are indeed a
good team.
“I said, ‘Somebody’s got to step up,’” West coach Jackie
Vorpahl said. “We had leaders last year in Bailey (Wagner) and Amanda (Wanie).
They’re not here. You had it easy because they were doing all the work.
“Somebody’s got to step up and do this and they did that
today. Everybody played a part today.”
Wanie, a state qualifying gymnast, is out for the season
with a knee injury.
Wagner, who graduated from West last year and was a
three-state qualifying gymnast, showed up at practice Thursday for a pep
demonstration, not a pep talk.
“She came in, got on the (balance) beam and did her routine
just like she did when she was here,” Vorpahl said. “She didn’t even think
twice.”
Wagner, who finished fifth at state last year on vault to be
the Spartans’ first state medalist in gymnastics since 2011, shrugged off the
rust and dazzled.
The 2014-15 Spartans watched in awe and said to themselves
if she can do that, we can too.
“She was helping us with skills and making us more mentally
strong,” West’s Jessica Butters said.
“People were amazed because she hadn’t done anything,” she
added. “I think it was good she came in. I think it helped a lot of people.”
In the Spartans’ next meet, which was an invitational at
Arrowhead, West had a renewed outlook on the rest of the season.
“We’ve all been working hard every day and some of us are
scared to do things, but she’s not,” Butters said of Wagner.
That’s not the case anymore.
“There’s less falls on beam; the way they present
themselves; they didn’t look scared today,” Vorpahl said. “They looked like I’m
going to go out there and do the skills I know I can do.”
“No one really hit like Bailey did and we just needed to
step up and take that spot,” Butters said.
By beating East, West takes control of the WLT dual season
at 3-0 with two meets to go before the conference tournament Feb. 20.
That’s nice for West, but the Spartans have big goals:
conference tournament championship and a trip to state.
West’s Jenna Heimark won the all-around competition with a
33.575 and was first on uneven bars (7.925).
East was led by Zoey Roberts.
The sophomore took first on three events and scored at least
an 8.7 on each. She scored an 8.7 on vault, an 8.75 on balance beam and an 8.85
on floor exercise.
Her score on floor was a season high.
Roberts scored a 33.0 in the all-around to take second and
Brandi Kreger was third with a 32.975.
“I felt really good about the meet; it went really well,”
Roberts said.
The only blemish for Roberts was a 6.7 on bars.
Regardless, East coach Haley Ransom was pleased with the
performance in what was a sort of conference tournament preview.
“We both know we’re not quite at our full capacity,” Ransom
said. “When we get people back, we’re probably still going to be close.
“I was definitely going into this knowing it was a good
preview with how the season is going to end.”
After a solid beam routine, Roberts didn’t have to wait long
to get on floor, which helped her stay on an emotional high and confident.
“She shows up to a meet and I know she’s always going to
fight for everything and she’s going to perform her hardest,” Ransom said.
“Her beam was spotless,” she added. “I thought her beam was
beautiful.”
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