Published: March 3, 2015
Heartbreak overtakes excitement for East
Suns finish 0.1 points shy of 2nd place
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News
MANITOWOC — The Cedarburg/ Grafton and Sheboygan North/South
co-ops were going to be tough to beat at Saturday’s WIAA Division 1 gymnastics
sectional at Lincoln High School.
With that in mind, West Bend East believed if it could beat
its rival West Bend West and send some gymnasts to the state meet, that was
plenty good enough to call it a successful day.
Then East heard how close it came from taking second and
going to state for the first time since 2006. The tears quickly followed.
Cedarburg/Grafton won the sectional with a team score of
135.25 and Sheboygan was second with a 133.5.
East? 133.4. That’s an extra toe point or too much bend in a
knee or an extra step somewhere, anywhere.
East even broke a school record, scoring a 34.275 on balance
beam. That still wasn’t enough.
“A tenth is so hard to swallow,” East coach Haley Ransom
said. “Every single girl, I know, is going to feel like it’s their fault
because a tenth could happen anywhere.
“It’s a hard pill to swallow. It’s something I’ll dwell on for
a while.”
West took fourth with a 132.4. The Spartans were trying to
advance to state for the third straight season. Hartford Union was seventh with
a 100.7.
East advanced two gymnasts to state — Brandi Kreger (uneven
bars) and Zoey Roberts (balance beam).
“She’s been so driven on that event,” Ransom said of
Roberts. “It’s been her focus. She knew that was her strongest events so we
pushed it.”
“Brandi, I think, is very proud of herself with her bar
routine,” Ransom said of Kreger. “She nailed it today. I know that’s not her
favorite event, but it’s definitely one of her strongest.”
It’s the first time East advanced more than one gymnast to
state since the team went in 2006.
West advanced two gymnasts to state as well — Jenna Heimark
(floor exercise) and Jessica Butters (vault).
Hartford didn’t advance a gymnast to state. The Orioles were
without Halli McCauley, who wasn’t at the meet for an undisclosed reason. The
sophomore qualified for state on bars last season.
One couldn’t help but feel disappointed for East.
Afterward, Ransom needed time to collect herself before
starting post-meet interviews and Kreger struggled through most of hers as
tears dripped out of her eyes.
“Obviously missing state by a tenth is really ... ,” Kreger
said, then turning around to collect herself.
“It’s really hard,” she added.
There were some who knew how East felt.
In 2010, West missed going to state by 0.05 points.
“It sucks,” West coach Jackie Vorpahl said.
There were close calls all over the scoresheets as to who
went to state and who didn’t.
Kreger was 0.2 points shy of qualifying for state on floor
and 0.3 in the allaround. Roberts was 0.075 points shy from the
state-qualifying spot on vault. West’s Jessica Stelzner was 0.175 points shy on
bars and East’s Storey Forster was 0.2 points shy.
Katelyn Butters was 0.1 points shy on beam and was knocked
out of the last state-qualifying spot by the last gymnast of the competition —
Roberts.
That’s why this meet is often more emotional than state.
It’s hard as heck to get there.
Ransom said she told her assistant coach, Megan Lutz, if
East beat West, she’d be OK with it.
However, never did she think her team would take third and
be 0.1 points shy of qualifying for state.
“I’m still proud that they beat West,” Ransom said holding
back tears. “The girls need to take away that they met that goal.”
Talk about bittersweet, though, as the tears turned into a
little anger.
“The second the score was announced, the girls huddled and
were like we’re not losing people,” Ransom said. “Our team is coming back.
“They huddled on their own as a team and said we thought it
was our year, but next year’s our year. We’re all coming back. I think it’s
going to be a huge motivator.”
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