The Malden High School gymnastics team faced off against four teams at a meet hosted by Winthrop High School. The other two guest teams were from Medford High School and Salem High School.
The meet started off with Malden on the balance beam. Routines were performed by senior captains Jessica Munroe and Kiley Ruelle, seniors Bianca Alves, Irma Kurtagic, and freshmen Tihun Lawrence and Tyler Risteen. Each of the routines consisted of the skills they have practiced and worked hard to improve upon over the season.
Kurtagic stated that before performing “it is a little nerve wracking but when the judge calls your name to start your event all that goes away and you do what you’ve been practicing the whole season.” She continued, “When you finish and see your score and the improvements you’ve made from the last meet it’s a great feeling of accomplishment.”
Uneven bars was the next event performed by Munroe, Ruelle, sophomore Max Weng and freshman Kevin Phan. These performances require a lot of upper arm strength, which is what the team is working towards building.
The next event was floor exercises performed by Kurtagic, Munroe, Ruelle and Weng. Their performances consisted of fast paced movements as well as varied stunts. Their scores mainly ranged around a seven out of ten.
The final event was vault. Munroe, Ruelle, Phan, and juniors Sandy Ip and Ricky Mei showed off their ½ twists.
The team is looking forward to competing in their next meets and improving even more. Ip stated that it is not always about beating other teams but rather “about improving your own routine and that feeling you get knowing you tried your best and the outcome was good.”
Kurtagic believes that, “the team has grown very close [and] are all very comfortable with each other…like a little family.” She explained that they are always there to help one another overcome their struggles, making them an even stronger team that is ready to work hard towards achieving their goals.
