According to sophomore Courtney Hanson, the girls’ gymnastics team defeated Richfield in their first dual meet of the season Dec. 11, scoring 124.8 points.

Head coach Dawn Thielen said the first meet was a success and the results reflected that.

“I think we had a really great first meet. We did everything I expected us to do and I feel like the girls had a great time,” Thielen said.

Senior captain Savannah Romero said the team still maintained an optimistic attitude despite the small size of the team.

“(Since) we have such a small team this year, everyone had to compete whether they were ready or not,” Romero said. “As a team we kept the energy up and were really positive in the gym.”

Thielen said the team has been doing well adjusting to the new rule book this season.

“There is a new rule book and the judges are getting used to it as well as the coaches,” Thielen said. “But overall, we got up there and everyone competed, nobody got hurt. (I) can’t ask for much better than that.”

According to Romero, the new coaches were a key component in their preparation for the meet and the victory it resulted in.  

“Our coaches are great. We have a new head coach who has been amazing and has really helped us be open to working with new skills,” Romero said. “(She’s) making sure everyone is comfortable all the time.”

Hanson said the team now knows what they need to work on to prepare for the next meet.

“We’re going to work on our flyaways and try to hold on a little bit longer on bars, so we can stick the dismount. (We will also) keep working on cleaning up our skills to not get deductions,” Hanson said.

According to Romero, the long break before the next competition will allow time for the gymnasts to gain new skills and improve existing ones. The upcoming meet will take place at 11 a.m. Jan. 5 at Park Center High School.