Palatine's picking it right back up

Palatine girls gymnastics team is hoping to pick up where it left off last season.

A young Pirates squad had already put the pieces together for nice season-ending run, qualifying as team to the Schaumburg sectional.

This year, they enter with high expectations - and why not? The Pirates return their full squad and are looking to build on that nice finish.

So far, so good.

Senior Kara Ure (34.75) and junior Abby Amato (34.45) went 1-2 in the all-around, powering Palatine to a 135.30-114.7 Mid-Suburban West dual meet victory over visiting Schaumburg on Thursday night.

"We really weren't aiming for anything, just going out and trying to get a base point," said Ure of the Pirates' performance. "Now we'll just work our way up."

"It's a good start," said Amato as the Pirates improved to 2-0 in duals. "Last year showed us what we are capable of doing, especially being a young team. We've stayed together and we have improved."

Ure had a solid night taking first on the vault (9.4) and bars (8.5). The Pirates senior had bit of shaky beam performance, but rebounded by taking first and nailing her floor routine (9.4).

"I just really wanted to pick it up after beam," said Ure of her floor performance that featured three clean passes. "I knew beam wasn't great and I had to leave it all on the floor."

Amato added to the effort - especially on beam, where she made her connections in taking a first with an 8.85.

"This week I kind of knew what I needed to do," said Amato, who also tied for second on the vault (9.0) and bars (8.3) and added a fourth-place finish on floor (8.3). "I just wanted to do anything I could to contribute to the team."

Palatine showed its depth with junior Callee Aikman taking second on the floor (8.7) and tying for second on bars (8.3), senior Ashley Jackson tied for second on vault (9.0), and junior Christina DiGioia adding third-place finishes on beam (7.95) and floor (8.5).

And the Pirates still know they have more to offer.

"Definitely," said Palatine coach Terry Theobald. "The lineup is still not set. We have some girls coming back from injuries, and we are looking to add more. They are a veteran group and they know what it takes."

Schaumburg was missing its top gymnast, junior Mikayla Vogt. But sophomore CJ Kulprathipanja did a nice job filling the gaps, finishing fourth in the all-around (30.30).

"I feel like I gained a lot of experience last season and I'm ready for this season," said Kulprathipanja, who also finished fourth on the vault (8.4).

Senior Alison Janega also added to the Saxons' attack by taking second on the beam (8.5).