Printer Friendly Version - Undefeated Hand Gymnastics Pursues Perfection in Title Defenses

The Hand gymnastics team is united and dedicated in perfecting its form and routines, following an undefeated start to its season as reigning SCC and state champion. Photo courtesy of Kelly Smith

Hadley Reiss is a senior captain for the Tigers gymnastics squad, which is off to another rousing start at 12-0 and looks to claim the club’s 24th SCC crown and 21st state title this winter. Photo by Wesley Bunnell/The Source

The Hand gymnastics team entered this campaign as reigning conference and state title holders. While other clubs may feel some trepidation with that target, the Tigers maintain that moniker with a blend and balance of composure, humility, and focus.

A year ago, the Tigers had a flawless campaign–finishing 17-0 on the dual-meet regular season–before capturing the program’s 23rd SCC Championship crown. Hand then capped it off in monumental fashion via claiming its second-consecutive Class S state title, and 20th overall.

Hand, despite an unblemished 12-0 record, is still in the experimental phase of the slate when it comes to perfecting its performance in a given meet. Yet Head Coach Kelly Smith maintains everything is right on schedule for the girls to hit their superb strides come postseason time.

“We are exactly where we want to be. In the beginning of the season, we are playing with our competitive lineup and routine composition, and there is some inconsistency along the way while we make the necessary tweaks and changes,” said Smith. “As we come into February, we're starting to solidify what our team looks like and we're looking to fine tune and get consistent. The goal is always to go into our biggest competitions and hit as close to 24-for-24 routines as we can, so we can walk away proud of our performance, regardless of where that places us. We're confident that we're among the best when we're at our best.”

Captains for the Tigers this winter are seniors Dylan Friedman and Hadley Reiss. Friedman loves to show her stuff in the vault and floor exercises, while still continuing to acquire new techniques in her final year. Reiss returns to the squad as a four-year all-around veteran, and an incumbent 2022-2023 All-SCC and All-State Team selection.

“Dylan is a two-year captain for us and is the model student-athlete. Both in the gym and at school, she is a leader in her attitude and work ethic. She works as hard as anyone in the gym and is still adding new skills in, even as a senior. Her favorite events are floor and vault, and we love watching her perform her floor routine,” Smith said. “Hadley continues to grow as a gymnast. She is great everywhere, but especially at beam and floor. This past offseason, she made tremendous growth and has added many new and difficult skills. She has always possessed confidence in the gym and in who she is, and she's a natural leader. Even on the days when motivation is low, Hadley is doing numbers and encouraging her teammates to do the same.”

Junior Morgan Flickinger is back for action after prolific postseasons the last two campaigns as a 2022 SCC All-Around champion, before becoming a 2023 State Open All-Around medal earner. Another junior class member, Brooke Anderson, succeeded Flickinger as SCC All-Around winner in 2023, and also medaled at the State Open.

“Morgan is scoring 36 or 37 in the all-around consistently for two years now, and while she's always had the difficult routines, she's now cleaning up her form and that has really helped her score well. She's always positive and hard working in the gym, and her teammates really look up to her. She is our anchor on three events and our team really counts on her,” said Smith. “Brooke has made significant increases in her difficulty in the last two years, and is now doing some of our most difficult gymnastics. She is tremendous to watch, incredibly powerful, and has started to find her confidence and consistency in her new skills. Her amplitude in her difficult skills is remarkable. Morgan and Brooke have a great friendship, and while they compete against each other individually, they are so incredibly supportive of each other and their teammates.”

Hand champions further depth in the all-around, with senior Abby Simpson and sophomore Ella Speerli (both 2023 All-State Team honorees), plus sophomore Kelly Kelly. Aside from being all-around athletes, another common motif amongst the trio is that no matter the circumstances or scores, they get great enjoyment and entertainment out of it all.

“Abby's strength is that she is rock solid on beam and keeps her cool no matter how big the stakes, and she's clean everywhere in her routines,” said Smith. “Ella does beautiful gymnastics from toe point to finger tip and is especially fun to watch on the floor; she completes nearly flawless routines. And Kelly has made significant increases in her difficulty from last year to this year, and that is making an impact in her scores and in our team efforts.”

As the Tigers are still scrapping and fighting to find their peak, on the other side of the token, they feel their competition has not bloomed yet either. But to meet that hurdle of when its adversaries raise their collective games, Hand will be ready by honing in on taking the prize of each day.

“Despite seeing teams both in and out of the SCC, no one has challenged us too much yet. Our current challenge is to be better every day and to beat ourselves,” said Smith. “We have to make the necessary changes for each athlete to become better as a whole. There are great teams out there, and we're starting to scout them a little bit, but it looks like we won't see them until the championship meets begin. Expectations are pretty high after our success the last two seasons. We hope to continue that success this year. We want to be one of the best teams in the state, and to qualify for the New England Championships for the third season in a row.”

The 2023-2024 Hand gymnastics team roster is comprised of seniors Reiss, Simpson, and Friedman; juniors Anderson, Olivia Consiglio, Flickinger, Abigail Lombardi, and Jillian Millen; sophomores Angelina Egidio, Kelly, Speerli, and Faye Staschke; and freshman Emma Kuja.

Smith has been Hand’s head coach for 18 years and is aided by assistant coach Jessica Hoover–now a part of the coaching staff for 12 years.

Tuesday, Feb. 13: vs. Haddam-Killingworth/Morgan/Westbrook w/ Mercy, Valley Regional at 6 p.m.