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01/31/2023 09:30 AMOne year ago, few high school gymnastics programs in Connecticut could argue they had a more prosperous run than the Hand gymnastics team. Now, the Tigers are ready to replicate many of those accomplishments this winter.
Last season, Head Coach Kelly Smith and the Tigers had a tremendously successful postseason. After finishing runner-up at the State Open Championship, Hand repeated that feat as a squad at the New England Championship. This all followed a perfect 11-0 regular season, 22nd SCC conference crown, and 19th state title, after finishing tops at the Class S State Championship.
This winter, Hand has picked up right where it left off, as the Tigers have raced out to a solid 12-0 start for their dual-meet campaign.
Most recently, Hand posted a score of 139.9 to beat out Fairfield Warde (136.75) and Fairfield Ludlowe (128.2) on Jan. 16. This was followed by a 129.2-64.8 win over Hamden the next day.
On Jan. 24, the Tigers grabbed another three wins by posting a score of 141.05 to best Haddam-Killingworth/Morgan/Westbrook (127.4), Valley Regional (121.9), and Mercy (120.05). Then on Jan. 30, Hand traveled to Foran and prevailed over the Lions, 141.4-129.35.
Smith explained that a key factor towards the program’s prominence thus far has been the kinship and cohesion amongst the girls–paving the path towards the Tigers feeling cool, calm, and confident within competition.
“The team looks great so far. They have excellent camaraderie; they are teammates and friends, and they all want each other to be successful,” said Smith. “Each girl helps inspire and push the girl next to her to be better, and one of our biggest strengths is our depth. We have so many athletes that can compete and compete well in each event that, as a team, there is less pressure. If one girl makes a mistake, her teammate will pick her up. If one girl is injured or needs to rest, someone is ready to step in. Gymnastics is an individual sport, one girl competes at a time, but we truly have a team mentality that we’re all in this together. The coaches are looking forward to the hard work, fun, and successes down the line that this team is capable of this season.”
The Tigers deploy a tandem of team captains, with senior Morgan McMahon and junior Dylan Friedman. McMahon is a four-year letter winner that has competed in the all-around throughout her time at Hand and was a First Team All-State and All-SCC Team competitor a year ago.
“Morgan leads by example, with a fierce competitive nature and consistent performance in competitions,” said Smith. “She earns her way into lineups by her talent but also by her dependability; we know we can count on her for a hit routine. She doesn’t command respect, but is highly respected by her teammates just because of her natural maturity and leadership.”
Friedman returns to the fold as the team’s reigning Tiger Award winner. Smith sang the praises of Friedman for her ability to balance things by keeping things light-hearted while showing the payoffs of persistence in the same breath.
“Dylan is the quintessential selfless teammate. She is the first to step up to do anything the team needs, on the competition floor or otherwise,” Smith said. “She is always smiling, dancing, and pumping up her teammates. No accomplishment is too small for celebration, and she makes everyone feel like the hard work in the gym can be fun. Despite her fun-loving nature, she’s working hard day in and day out on her routines, setting an example for her teammates.”
Also within the junior class are Hadley Reiss (New Haven Register All-Area, All-SCC, 1st Team All-State in 2022) and Abby Simpson, who scored over a 9 on the beam at the New England Championship last season.
“Hadley has been a top all-around athlete for us for several years now and continues to grow in her confidence and her consistency. She has great power and flexibility, having demonstrated the most on floor and beam, where she also has high difficulty,” said Coach Smith. “Abby was a breakout competitor late last season. Abby will continue to be a beam queen for us this season, and is breaking into several other events as well.”
Within the sophomore section of the club, Morgan Flickinger returns after quite a season in which she was a 2022 SCC all-around champion, NHR All-Area Team MVP, First Team All-State, All-SCC, along with being a State Open and New England Championship medalist.
“Morgan is one of our strongest all-around athletes, contributing big skills and scores on every event,” said Smith. “She had a very successful freshman campaign and looks to continue that success into this year. She’s already scored above a 9 on three out of four events so far this year.”
Her classmate Brooke Anderson also had a decorated 2022 run, where she earned All-SCC, All-State, and All-Area Team selections. Fellow sophomore Olivia Consiglio was also an All-SCC Team and Second Team All-State honoree in 2022.
“Brooke is another one of our strongest all-around athletes and is known for her power. She excels at the vault but doesn’t have a weak event. She brings her power to every event, competing skills with great amplitude, and is working on quite a few upgrades we hope to see this season,” Smith said. “Olivia excels at the uneven bars, which is typically one of the events that our team, and high school gymnasts, struggle on. Her expertise here is highlighted by her form and handstand positions. She is also in and out of many other events for us, depending on the competition.”
Smith also pointed out a terrific freshmen trio of Kelly Kelly, Grace Burton, and Ella Speerli, who Smith said have helped fill valuable spots following graduating seniors.
“They have made immediate impacts so far this season, competing in multiple events in each meet,” said Smith. “They have been great additions to our team, filling in any holes left by our graduating seniors, and we seem to be just as strong this year as we were last year.”
Smith felt that the Tigers set a strong championship-pedigree pace right off the bat on Opening Night, when they posted a team tally of 139.3 points in triumphs over hosting Law plus Ellington on Jan. 5.
“I think opening the season with a 139 team score demonstrated our strength and made a statement,” said Coach Smith. “We are a talented team, and while we have some work to do, we are going to be fighting for the championships down the line later this season.”
Hand has yet to formally declare their targets as a team, yet Smith can surmise by the determination in their eyes the Tigers want the top prize. But for now, it is all about living in the moment and building from there.
“We had such a successful and exciting season last year, and I think the girls are hungry for more. We haven’t discussed year-end goals just yet, and are focusing more on the day-to-day improvements at the moment, but I imagine they want another state championship,” said Smith. “We try to stay in the moment; focus on the skill we’re in, the routine we’re in, the meet we’re in, and the rest of our goals should follow. Doing the right things in practice and in meets early in the season will begin to build our confidence, so when we get to the bigger meets down the line, we know we can hit our routines.”
The complete Hand program roster includes seniors McMahon, Eva Alquist, Elisabeth Davern; juniors Friedman, Nicole Quain, Reiss, Simpson, Sydney Williams; sophomores Anderson, Consiglio, Flickinger, Abigail Lombardi, Avery Nairn; and freshmen Burton, Kelly, and Speerli.
Smith is in her 17th season as Hand’s head coach. She is assisted by Jessica Hoover, who is back for her 11th campaign with the Tigers after she was named the 2022 Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) Gymnastics Committee Assistant Coach of the Year.