NEW PALESTINE — With the majority of last year’s team returning and another member back from injury, New Palestine gymnastics coach Debbie Bruns has high hopes for the 2020 Dragons.
“I really think we have a good shot qualifying for state, as a team,” she said. “Last year, we had a much smaller team and had a lot of injured kids. One or two big injuries can cost you.
“In the big meets, you get four athletes and you count three scores. We didn’t have that throwaway score in a couple events.”
Bruns’ Dragons graduated only one, Sarah Thompson, and have a larger roster with the addition of five freshmen to go with the return of five vets.
Last year, even short-handed with injuries, the Dragons were able to finish second at the Connersville Sectional. They were fifth at the Columbus East Regional, two spots from qualifying for the state meet.
A trip to the state finals would be the school’s first, as a team, since 2015, when the Dragons finished sixth. New Palestine won the sectional in 2017.
If the Dragons can stay injury-free, the talent appears to be in place for a productive 2020.
Leading the group of experienced gymnasts is senior Grace Shanahan, who has twice finished runner-up in the all-around at the Connersville Sectional. She was the sectional champion on the balance beam in 2018.
“I would expect that we will be good if we have the mindset to be good,” Shanahan said. “If we keep our confidence up and have good attitudes we will come out on top.
“It’s really important (to stay healthy). The girls that we do have are pretty good, so any injury we have could be costly. Keeping everyone healthy will important to succeed.”
Though Shanahan is the lone competing senior, the Dragons have four others with varsity experience to make up a solid top five. Emma Poag and Addie Halter are juniors. Halter returns after missing the entire 2019 season due to an ACL injury suffered during soccer season.
Poag was ninth in the all-around at last year’s sectional, with a top finish of 10th on the balance beam.
Sophomores Kennedy Garrett and Alyse Rickey are also back. Garrett finished third on beam in last year’s sectional and was seventh — just one spot from qualifying for the state finals — in the all-around and the team’s top performer at last season’s Columbus East Regional.
In Columbus, Garrett finished eighth on the beam, just two spots from a state berth. She tied for ninth in the regional vault competition.
Rickey was ninth on bars at the sectional.
“What’s bigger to me is the fact they worked out all summer and came back with new skills,” Bruns, in her fourth year as head coach, said. “These guys were really motivated. They were in the weight room a month after we ended last season, not with me, on their own trying to get stronger.
“Gymnastics is a lot like football, 90 percent of it is strength. They know if they are strong enough they can do anything.”
Five freshmen hoping to get valuable experience this year are Audrey O’Dell, Addi Bird, Emily Hunter, Cora Jones and Elizabeth Dodd.
The team opens the season tonight at Connersville against the hosts and New Castle. The first home meet is Thursday, Jan. 23 against Columbus North. Home meets are at New Palestine Elementary School.
The Dragons will get plenty of quality tests prior to the post season. They will compete Saturday at the Viking Invite, hosted by state-power Valparaiso. Other invitationals on the schedule include the Rushville Invitational Feb. 8, where the Dragons are the defending champions, and the Bloomington North Invitational on Feb. 15.
The Connersville Sectional meet is slated for Feb. 29.
