MARLBOROUGH – The Marlborough High School varsity gymnastics team came out on top during a tri-meet on Jan. 11.
Marlborough and Hudson did not face off against each other, but both teams competed against Shrewsbury.
Marlborough won with a score of 130.35, Shrewsbury finished with a score of 129.95 and Hudson finished with a score of 128.90.
According to Marlborough Head Coach Samantha Kelley, her team claimed victory because their floor rotation was “the best and most consistent” routine of the night.
Kelley highlighted senior captain Kaeleigh Salmon, who scored the highest on the vault, beam and floor.
Competing against Shrewsbury is fun for the Panthers because of their solid sportsmanship, Kelley said.
“Shrewsbury will cheer for our girls because everybody wants to win because they did their best. Shrewsbury is always good with their ability to keep focus on themselves, but also cheering on the other team,” she said.
“And, I know our girls do the same,” Kelley added.
Hudson Head Coach Danielle Mauro said being defeated by Shrewsbury was tough, but the team is preparing by working out and resting before the next meet on Jan. 28 – where the Hawks will face off against Marlborough.
Marlborough looks ahead to the rest of the season
Marlborough’s team is made up of students from the high school, Nashoba and Advanced Math & Science Academy.
Kelley said the older gymnasts have “set the tone” for the season.
“The older girls from all of the schools help bond the younger girls who maybe don’t have relationships with the girls from the other schools,” she said.
The Panthers train hard at Jean’s Gymnastics where they practice four days per week and work on perfecting their skills by repeating their vault, beam and floor routines, according to Kelley.
This season, the Panthers have been honing their skills on the beam because, as Kelley described it, this is the “make it or break it event.”
“The girls are pretty motivated to try beams. As we go through the season, we can hopefully pull out some bigger numbers and better routines,” she said.
The Marlborough team aims to place within the top three at the league meet.
“We are crossing our fingers that we make it to sectionals after that,” she said.
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