Printer Friendly Version - Hand Gymnastics Claims Class S State Title Three-Peat

The Hand gymnastics team stands with the 21st overall state title after winning its third-straight Class S state crown on Feb. 24 at Law High School. Photo courtesy of Kelly Smith

Junior Brooke Anderson finished with a 36.0 all-around score, and claimed the vault title, to help the Tigers’ gymnastics team claim the Class S state crown on Feb. 24 at Law. Photo by Wesley Bunnell/The Source

To the Hand gymnastics team, no difficulty of a routine seems too challenging for its members, nor does any task seem too daunting. That observation is backed up by clearly visible evidence of the club notching yet another first-place trophy for the mantle in Madison.

On Feb. 24 at Law High School, the Tigers–following a perfect 14-0 regular season and third-consecutive SCC title–competed at the Class S State Championship, and entered the competition as the two-time reigning champions. Despite that massive target on their collective backs, the Tigers staved off any pressure and came through with a total score of 140.275 to net the program its third-straight Class S crown, and 21st state title overall.

Head Coach Kelly Smith detailed that this was the biggest nail-biter the team has faced this campaign in terms of point differential, while also dealing with several girls returning from injuries, though the Tigers took it all in stride to the top.

“This was a really exciting win for us; it's the closest margin in a meet that we've had all season, and under pressure, the girls had a great day. These wins are a testament to our depth and the importance of every member of this team,” said Smith. “In the middle of the season, [junior] Morgan Flickinger hurt her elbow and [junior] Brooke Anderson had a concussion, and as our top two all-around athletes, it left us unsure of how we would fare. But we still had Hadley Reiss, another standout in the all-around, and we had a strong core of gymnasts that could - and did - step up to help fill those holes. Brooke returned for states this weekend, making a significant impact, especially on vault and bars, and Morgan was able to do a no-armed beam routine to score our highest beam score on the night, and Hadley and the rest of the team continued to hit their routines for the win.”

On the vault, Anderson nailed a 9.225 to take the top spot, Reiss scored an 8.6, sophomore Kelly Kelly added an 8.55, and senior Abigail Simpson tallied an 8.475. Hand scored an overall 34.9 for the event.

“Our state championship win proves that the Daniel Hand gymnastics team is built with some of the most perseverant, flexible, and positive athletes in the state. Coming into this weekend, we knew we had to fight in order to take home the championship above Killingly,” said Anderson. “The lineup was up in the air all week, with athletes, including myself, slowly coming back from injuries. No matter what the lineup solidified into, I knew we were going to be set because every athlete was mentally and physically prepared to step up on the competition floor if need be.”

With the bars, Anderson led the Tigers with a 9.35. Joining her were Reiss with an 8.55, sophomore Ella Speerli (8.45), and junior Olivia Consiglio–who scored an 8.25. The Tigers racked up a 34.6 score for the competition.

“As for my personal performance yesterday, coming into this week I didn’t really know what to expect. After suffering a concussion, I have been out of the gym for almost a month, and only had about a week to get back into the groove of things for states,” said Anderson. “For my safety, Coach Kelly and I agreed to take out some higher difficulty skills on beam and floor, and focus on having a clean and calm routine, which paid off in the end. Even though I wasn’t able to compete at my highest level on all events, I am still so happy to finally be able to support my team on the competition floor again!”

Moving to the balance beam, junior Morgan Flickinger paced the girls with her 9.1 showing. Simpson was right behind her with an 8.85, Anderson added a score of 8.725, and Reiss nabbed an 8.425. Hand collected a 35.1 team score for the competition.

Finally for floor exercises, Reiss moved her way to a 9.425 score. Speerli had an 8.95 score for her showing, Anderson tallied an 8.7 for her trip to the floor, and Kelly had an 8.6. Hand grabbed a 35.675 for the squad score.

“Hadley's 9.425 on floor closed out the meet for us and pushed our team score over the 140 mark, which secured the championship. Brooke added a 9.225 and 9.35 on vault and bars, and they had our top two all-around scores for our team,” said Smith. “This was Brooke's first meet back, and we were unsure if she was fully ready, but she rose to the occasion and did exactly what the team needed her to do. Morgan's 9.1 on beam without her arms is absolutely incredible. She still has one of our team's highest start values, and one of the highest start values in the state, and hit her routine despite her arm injury and a few weeks out of practice. Ella Speerli with an 8.925 on floor is utter perfection with 9.4 start value, and was also rewarded for her clean form with an 8.45 on bars. Kelly Kelly added an 8.55 on vault and 8.6 on floor, and Abby Simpson continued to be our beam queen with an 8.85.”

Smith further exclaimed in the afterglow of another championship victory about the depth of the Tigers’ roster, and how paramount it proved in not only their entire season, but the first place showings at SCCs and states.

“Many teams have standout athletes, but the difference for us has truly been our third and fourth counting scores. We have many athletes that can put up mid to high 8s, while other teams drop off significantly after their superstars,” said Smith. “Senior Abby Simpson, junior Olivia Consiglio, and sophomores Ella Speerli and Kelly Kelly all competed all around at various times throughout the season for us, and it's their routines and our depth with them in the lineup that really carried us through when we had injuries.”

For all-around scores, Anderson achieved a 36.0 for her four events, and then Reiss totaled a 35.05 for the competitions. In the down time between the conference and state title meets, Smith explained the Tigers’ sole focus was on upping their skills to set the table for favorable tabulations at states.

“Between SCCs and states, we focused on fine tuning, hitting routines under pressure and making sure our amplitude and execution of skills and combinations were going to award us the highest possible start values, with the most consistent and confident routines,” said Smith. “We made a few slight adjustments in routine composition, but mostly just worked on perfecting everything. We are peaking at the right time, hitting almost all of our routines at states, and when it comes down to it, you have to be able to hit when it counts, and we did.”

Rounding out the team standings for the day were Killingly in runner-up with a 138, Woodstock Academy in third with a tally of 133.175, host Law in fourth (130.075), Haddam-Killingworth/Morgan/Westbrook in fifth with a 127.825 total, Valley Regional in sixth (126.750), Stonington in seventh (124.475), and Brookfield in eighth (110.225).

“At the end of the day, I think our mindset was what really allowed us to all do our best at states,” said Anderson. “[Senior] Captain Dylan Friedman stressed the idea that positive attitudes produce positive results, and we really saw that play out this weekend. Even after a couple of falls and small hiccups, everyone continued to have a smile on their face and remain calm, which radiated onto the remaining athletes, allowing for them to succeed. It truly was a team effort out there, and I am so proud of everyone on and off of the floor for their energy and preparation.”

At the State Open in New Milford on March 2, Hand finished second with 139.825 points for a score to champion Trumbull (141.2). Yet the Tigers earned a trip to the New England Championships by finishing runner-up.

Performing on the day were Anderson (9.3 on vault and bars; 9.1 for the beam, 8.65 on floor), Reiss (8.8 on vault, 8.5 for bars, 8.55 for beam, 8.75 for floor), Kelly (8.55 on vault and floor), Simpson (8.5 on vault, 8.75 for beam), Consiglio (8.725 on bars), Speerli (8.35 for the bars), and Flickinger (9 for the beam).

The 2023-2024 Hand gymnastics team roster is comprised of seniors Reiss, Simpson, and Friedman; juniors Anderson, 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.