from her. Ellison is also ….
from her. Ellison is also powerful, streamlined and consistent, but she worked on fine tuning her preflight that gave her an additional 0.3 from her season highest score. They really focused individually, so it would reflect on the overall team score.”
Krause had performed on the uneven bars in December. She began January with her best score of the season, winning the event at 8.75. Pietsch was second at 8.5. Marshfield claimed the second through fifth places, but Medford-Colby earned the next four spots with solid scores in the 7s. Bridget Cloud’s well-connected routine got her a 7.6, Rothmeier and Radlinger earned 7.4s and Mateer earned a 7.35.
“With bars, it continues to be a work in progress,” Brushaber said. “The girls are so strong and capable. It is just a matter of repetition, but many people do not realize how grips shifting or a bad rip on the hands can impact you practicing or competing. Bars takes time and, again, I think the girls have been focused on bigger skills but we may need to consider a few tweaks.”
Krause’s third win came on the balance beam where her no-fall routine got her an 8.6 from the judges, which put her past Marshfield’s runner-up Solenne Lonsdale (8.4). Cloud was sixth at 7.95, a big jump from her 7.525 from the team’s last meet Dec. 9. Mateer took seventh at a seasonbest 7.85, Rothmeier was ninth at 7.3 and Kaileigh Mientke was 10th at 7.0.
Cloud was competing against many of her club teammates from Marshfield Thursday.
“I saw Bridget fight through her beam routine and, although it was not her best routine I have witnessed, she was our second-highest scorer in that event,” Brushaber said. “I hope she is able to fully appreciate her performance and impact. I can only imagine how nerve racking it is to be competing against the girls you practice and compete with three-quarters of the year. It was so heartwarming to hear the Marshfield athletes cheer her on. On bars, Bridget scored her personal best of the season. She had been working to correct and connect things during practices which really paid off for her. She was our second highest scorer on bars as well for this competition.”
Medford-Colby closed the meet with a season-best score of 33.05 in the floor exercise as all scores were solidly in the 8s. In her first floor routine of the season, Krause took third at 8.45, just behind Dietsche and Marshfield’s Serenah Tippett, who tied for the win with 8.55s. Rothmeier, Mateer and Radlinger all tied for sixth with 8.2s and Meyer was ninth at 8.05. Mateer and Radlinger’s scores were their best so far this season.
Rothmeier was sixth in the all-around standings with 31.7 total points, just ahead of Mateer’s 31.55.
In JV competition, Radlinger won the vault and balance beam competitions. She got an 8.5 on vault and a 7.8 on the beam. Mientke was fourth on vault with an 8.1. Meyer’s 7.6 got second on the beam, while Carbaugh was fourth at 6.9 and Lindsey Kauffman was fifth at 6.8.
“All of our vaulters are varsity-level athletes,” Brushaber said. “I told the girls on JV to prove me wrong for placing them on JV and I am happy to say they took me seriously. They were awesome. I am proud of how Lindsey spoke up and told me what she felt ready for this meet. Communication between coach and athlete is so important. Shayla had a personal best in vault and floor. She goes after what she wants and also communicates freely in practice so you always know what her needs and wants are.”
The Raiders lost another chance to compete Saturday when they pulled out of the River Falls Invitational due to travel/ weather concerns. But overall, Brushaber said Thursday’s Senior Night and Parents’ Night meet was a good start to the busy back half of the gymnastics season, which will continue Jan. 23 when Medford hosts Antigo and Mosinee in a 5:45 p.m. triangular.
“I think Senior Night and Parents’ Night went well,” the first-year head coach said. “I heard some compliments from the Marshfield athletes and parents about how we acknowledged their seniors with the roses and announcement. I know it is only mid-season, but I already feel the heaviness of having to say goodbye to our seniors. We’ve had some great team-building moments and made some nice memories so far this season. Those seniors (Krause, Carbaugh and Mientke) continue to be so poised, classy, understanding and professional throughout the season. They truly are showing the other teammates how to persevere through adversity and injury. They also do a great job of focusing on the task at hand and not letting external factors affect them in the gym. They make up one-third of the team, so it will be felt deeply when they graduate.”
