Reaching the bar

GMC All Conference Gymnast, Caela Jones, sticks her fly away with an ending pose.

BY KAILEY SIEGEL

Social Media Director

The gymnastics team’s 5-3 record improved upon last season’s 1-7 record, making 2023 the team’s best season since 2019.

With just four seniors on the team, the 11 underclassmen had to excel to help the team succeed. “We got some new girls this year along with a few people who came back from being injured,” shared Junior Jenna Castle. “That encouraged us to be the best we possibly can.”

In the team’s first meet of the season, the girls earned a 94.35 – 75.4 victory against Piscataway. Stella Melnikov placed first in All Around with a score of 30.35. “The win boosted my confidence in competing All Around as a freshman,” said Melnikov. Knights Jenna Castle, Caela Jones, and Julia Sala placed first in Bars, Vault, and Beam respectively.

The girls’ best performance of the season came in their final meet on October 19 against Manalapan, where the team earned a 100.2 score. “The whole team has set a goal to break 100,” said senior Alyssa Esposito. “Seeing our hard work pay off felt great.”

The team competed at GMCs on October 21 and came in third out of six teams. The Greater Middlesex County Association named sophomore Caela Jones, who placed in All Around four times this season, GMC All Conference Gymnast and Carli Fargione achieved GMC Assistant Coach of the Year honors. “It felt good that all my hard work throughout the season had paid off,” said Jones.

Senior Cha’mel Upshur swings on the bar ready to finish her routine.

The team’s connection off of the mat led to their success on it. Traditions, such as holding pinkies during the National Anthem and awarding athletes with a crown and the title “Beam Queen,” enhanced the team’s close bond. “We started the ‘Beam Queen’ tradition this year to recognize when someone sticks their beam routine,” Jordan Feldman explained. “We decided to take this tradition in as our own and turn the medal into a crown.”

As captain, senior Julia Sala has optimism for the future of the team based on this season’s success. “I hope that the team has the same strong bond that we had this year,” said Sala, “I want the future team to succeed even more than we did this year.”