Small but talented squad looks
Published 8:24 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008
SNOQUALMIE – Six years into coaching the Mount Si gymnastics team, Renee Tredo knows that the competition is relentless. With teams such as Newport, Mercer Island and state champs Issaquah in Kingco 3A, her goal is still to instill self-confidence in her gymnasts.
This year, 19 gymnasts turned out for the team, down from the 27 that turned out last year. Of the 19, only three freshman made the commitment. That is lower than past classes and not just a concern in gymnastics.
“Soccer and basketball were also down,” said Tredo.
Top returnees to the team this season are Casey Stinnett, a senior, whose strengths are on the bars and floor. Stinnett is joined as a team captain by fellow senior Sam Baldwin.
Stinnett has many goals for the season but districts are on her mind.
“I made it to league the past two years but I would like to make it to districts on the beam,” she said. “That’s my best chance right now.”
She is also excited for the team and thinks the smaller group may actually be a good thing.
“I guess since we have a smaller group we can work closer together and then become friends,” she added.
Being in a captains role puts her in the position to be a role model.
“They need to know that you can’t get things overnight, that you have to work for it,” said Stinnett.
Baldwin agrees with the team size.
“I think that a smaller group helps us to get to know each other better and we have some really strong girls,” she said.
She also sets incremental personal goals.
“Personally, I want to come out and do the best I can at all the events I am competing in. To try and get a little better than last year,” Stinnett said.
Baldwin, who also plays softball, enjoys gymnastics because she can work at her own pace.
“I get to work on the things that I want to work on,” Baldwin said.
Another returnee to the team is Katie Osiadacz, also a senior. Osiadacz wasn’t on the team last year due to her cheerleading commitment but is looking forward to a return to the sport.
“I will compete in vault and floor although my floor routine will barely be ready for my first meet, she said.
Also returning to the team this year are junior Alisha Fischer who is strong on the bars and floor as well as Sarah Lewis, a sophomore, who is also strong on the bars and floor.
The top newcomer to the team is Cherise Athay, a sophomore who brings club gymnastics experience to the team. Athay competes on the floor and beam but will not be eligible to compete until January due to an illness.
The Wildcats finished seventh out of nine teams last year but with the loss of the Skyline team to Kingco 4A, there are only eight teams this year.
One noticeable difference this year is the lack of a JV squad due to the lower numbers.
“We also changed our practices due to using two facilities, the gym and Sno-Valley Gymnastics,” said Tredo.
With the remodeling of the high school and lack of gym space, gymnastics has opted to lease space two days a week.
“We have had to change our coaching due to the two event set ups at each location,” she added. “Every girl works every event this year and in the past we have let them focus more on their single event. We are trying to get them to more than one event.”
Tredo is looking forward to a solid year of competition.
“The exciting part is that we are the deepest we have ever been with skill level this year. But on top of that, we have a lot of inexperienced kids as well. The deep skill is not the higher-level skill that we have had in the past. So we are going to focus on individual scores and individual improvement throughout our season,” added Tredo. “As a team goal, I would like to see every girl compete in at least two meets. There are a few gymnasts who are here having fun, but not sure if they want to compete. I want girls to build confidence in every event. It’s sometimes difficult to go out there. We want them to be confident and to be proud of themselves when they are done and not embarrassed and proud of heir accomplishments.”
Tredo also has noticed a change in the schedule due to the loss of Skyline, fewer multi-team meets.
“With Skyline out of our league we have exactly eight high schools with gymnastics and we have seven meets. So they just did dual meets all the way down although they did change the schedule a little to throw in a couple of multi-team meets,” Tredo said. “It’s hard when you only have one other school here, the crowds are smaller, so that creates less motivation. All the schools have said that as a result of the dual meet format.”
Assisting Tredo for her fifth year is Jennifer Batton but the most exciting news for Tredo may be her planned summer wedding. In addition to the news of the wedding, Tredo is looking forward to the gym expansion.
“We will have our own space and can leave our equipment set up for the whole season,” said Tredo.
This season, the team has to break down their equipment after each practice due to limited gym space.
Mount Si took on Bellevue at home last week and faces the Totems at Sammamish on Friday with a start time of 7 p.m.
