The girls gymnastics team is an underrated team at Schreiber despite being a dedicated team filled with athletes who are willing to work hard and succeed.  With the season just about to begin, the gymnasts have a stronger, more determined mindset than ever before.  The girls ended their season last year on a very high note, landing third overall in the county and making it to the team championships.  However, sophomore Phoebe Christake believes that that was only the beginning. 

“We ended the season last year third in the county, which was amazing.  We have a lot of new people on the team this year, and each and every one of them bring an even more competitive atmosphere than last year,” said Christake. “This being said, I believe the culture on this team and the new additions for this year can finally bring us to first in the county.” 

These high expectations for the team have created a new drive for the hopes to get to the top of the county rankings.  The energy on this team is said by the members to be very positive, and with the addition of seven freshmen to the team, the group is ready to take on anyone on their way to the top spot.  At the start of last season, the girls had a lot to prove.  However, now that they have moved up a conference from the year before, the team will need to improve their skills to an even higher level.  The team fell just short of perfection last season, with a record of 7-1 (6-1 in their conference). A main source of this positive energy comes from senior Riley Kerin.  

“With the edition of our new freshman this year, we are on the path to have the strongest season in years,” said Kerin.  “Since we have moved up to conference one last year, this season will be full of tough competition.”

Although this sense of heightened competition can be nerve-racking, the new competition does not seem to phase them.

“However, I am extremely confident in my teammates’ abilities and what they will bring to each meet.  Our goal is to have as many gymnasts qualify and have our team win the Team Championship in February,” said Kerin.

Through the interpretation of one of the team’s captains, it is clearly shown how highly the captains refer to the capabilities of this group of gymnasts.  In addition, not only does the team speak highly of themselves as players, but they also believe that they will be able to greatly exceed last season’s results.  The group has a different feel this year, as everyone on the team has a different energy.

“This season is going to be like no other.  I think we are going to be even better this year as opposed to last season because of the addition of so many young, extremely talented gymnasts.  Last year we made it to the team championships, which was just the beginning,” said senior captain Sami Flyer.

Overall, with the bump up to an even more competitive conference, the team believes that they need to even further improve their skills in order to compete, and, eventually, to win and advance to the team championships and beyond.  However, they are quite up to the task.  Going 7-1 last season, only losing their last game against Cold Spring Harbor, the team showed just how dominant of a group they are.  They displayed this dominance when they got their most lopsided victory against Roslyn in their fourth meet of last season.  The final score of this meet was a whopping 130.8-46.8 win for the girls.  If what the team says is true, the Port Washington Girls Gymnastics team will be a big force in their new, elite conference, Conference I.  

The gymnasts’ first official meet of the new 2018-2019 season began at home on Dec. 11, against a fierce opponent in Great Neck South. Port was very successful in this meet winning, 157.9-146.4. Flyer and Kerin led the girls tying for first on the vault with a score of 8.1. Flyer also won the beam with a score of 8.9, while Kerin took home the floor exercise with a score of 8.7. The team showed their talent in the first meet, and proved that they are a top competitor in a tough conference. The girls look to continue their success with commitment and hard work.