On Saturday, the Henrico High School gymnasium was abuzz with excitement as teams gathered for the Central Region and Capital/Colonial District Gymnastic championships.

All four Hanover schools were well-represented and proved once again that the county’s gymnastics programs can compete with anyone in the region.

Atlee combined a solid all around performance and were nearly flawless as a team on the vault and floor to seal Capital District and Central Region championships.

Coach Donna Koehler said she was expecting good things for her team, despite some heady competition.

“We expect to finish in the top two,” she said midway through the competition. “So far, the girls have done well and they have turned in consistent routines.”

The team met her expectations and advance on to the VHSL state competition Feb. 18-19 at Deep Run High School.

“We were very pleased with the meet because we had to come from behind to win,” Koehler said. “It was very close and came down to the last event, which was the floor for us.”

The floor exercise turned out to be Atlee’s best event. “The girls had outstanding routines on floor with Brianna MacKay winning the event with a 9.75, and Chelsea Clark in second place with a 9.6,” Koehler said. “Also Abby Holmes, with a sprained ankle, scored a 9.4 and Jessica Nunnally performed a beautiful routine with taped ankles as well.  Those scores helped us win the meet.”

Koehler said the determination and character of the team really pulled them through in the end.

“The girls were not ready to give up the regional title. Now, we’re looking forward to the state meet in two weeks.”

For Lee-Davis, the challenge came down to a familiar nemesis. “We need to stay on the beam,” said LD Coach Cy Witherow as his girls prepared to begin their most challenging discipline.

In the end, the team’s performance earned them a fourth place regional finish behind Atlee, Mills E. Godwin and Douglas Freeman.

“I was extremely pleased with our meet,” Witherow said.  “Vault and floor were great, and beam and bars weren’t as good.”

C-fed Hannah Chenault finished first on the bars, fourth on the beam, sixth on the vault and fourth in the floor exercise earning her a third place all-around in region competition.

Witherow said the team would take its experience from this year and apply it to next season. “I was pleased with the season and I feel like we can be stronger next year if the girls work hard in the off season.”

Witherow also credited his assistant coach for her efforts during the season. “Sarah Hansen is a wonderful assistant coach.”

Patrick Henry fielded a team that was short in numbers but long on enthusiasm and talent.

Kristen Valasek turned in her usual outstanding effort.

“Kristen had a wonderful meet,” said PH assistant coach Austin Beazley. “She finished first in the region on beam and second in the region in the all-around competition.  She added a new skill on floor and bars and hit both of them which helped increase her start values.”

Beazley was also pleased with the overall performance in a tough competition and said her girls performed well when the pressure was on. “All the girls performed great. Sometimes it comes down to who can hit all four routines but today all four of the top all-around finishers did which made the competition really tight.”

For Beazley, the season was a solid building block for the future of PH gymnastics and a tribute to the overall effort and attitude of the girls. “We had a very small team this year which made it impossible to compete for the team title.  The girls didn’t let this bother them at all,” she said.  “They always have a smile or their face and support one another.  They all improved their performances and some even competed on events for the very first time.  I could not be more proud of their effort.”

Chelsea Young and Hannah Andrzejewski both had solid performances for the Hanover squad, capturing fifth and sixth places in the District all-arounds.

“Hannah had a very good meet today,” said Hanover coach Jessica Moore. “If ever there was a day to be clean, today was it and she was. Chelsea had a rough start on beam with two falls, but she finished strong landing a vault she’s struggled with all season.  That’s always exciting to see.”

Moore was philosophical about a meet that sums a season that has been challenging for the Hawks with a number of injuries.

“Overall, it wasn’t our best meet, but we didn’t do bad in the long run,” she said. “We had a rough start on beam but we finished strong on floor and vault.”

The team still finished with a good season, and more importantly, a sense of togetherness that made the season special.

“This team this year is one big family,” Moore said.  “I feel like we finished in a good place.  The skills the girls have worked on all season, they were able to perform at Regionals.  We had a good time today, that’s what it’s all about.”

                Download the 2011 Region and District score sheet
    (Excel file - 38KB)