Glenbard West thrives on beam at Oswego invitational
They may not have a need for two new front teeth, but gymnasts would absolutely welcome the addition of 2 more inches to the width of the balance beam this holiday season.
Well, maybe not Glenbard West. The Hilltoppers seem to have no problem whatsoever excelling on the regulation 4-inch wide apparatus.
Behind a 36.7 performance as a team, which included Taylor Ramirez placing first and sisters Anna and Maddie Diab tying for second place, Glenbard West dominated Saturday's Tumble for Troops Invitational at Oswego with a 146.725, well in front of runner-up DeKalb/Sycamore co-op's 139.375.
"We spend a lot of time on beam in practice and we try to do a lot of our routines with pressure," Ramirez said. "We like to make the pressure our new normal rather than adding on a lot. It's not the most fun when we're doing it in practice, but it pays off when you're here."
Many gymnasts feel the same way about beam as a kid who opens a present expecting a toy only to uncover a pair of tan corduroys. Not the Hilltoppers, though.
For years Glenbard West coach Carlos Fuentes' teams have excelled on the beam, turning what's a deficiency for many teams into one of its strengths.
"It's something we train every day," Fuentes said. "Sometimes we'll come back to beam two or three times a day. You are what you repeatedly do, so we train that way and we train with that same intensity. If you simulate meet situations with that pressure it will make you better at doing what you need to do."
What's scary for the rest of the state is that beam is the only event on which the Hilltoppers are close to being at full strength right now.
"Everything else we're taking our time to get there, but the girls are working hard," Fuentes said. "We hold a very high standard for ourselves."
Maddie Diab won bars and floor and Maia Lee was second on bars. Ramirez finished in the top three in all but vault while capturing the all-around title with a 37.55 to lead the Hilltoppers.
"I was happy with how consistent I was, but there's always room for improvement," Ramirez said. "But overall I'm really happy with how the meet went."
Glenbard East snagged third place with a 138.35, edging Wheaton Warrenville co-op's 137.8 and Lake Park's 137.5.
"We're very excited to come here and get third place," Rams coach Jessica Bugajsky said. "There are still things we want to work on over Christmas break and we're hoping we come back strong."
The Rams will only get better once their top gymnast, Kali Kartheiser, returns in January.
Rebecca Honig was fourth and Kelsey Donovan placed sixth in the all-around to lead the Rams.
Wheaton co-op knows what it's like to compete short-handed as well. It was without its top all-arounder, defending state beam champion Jamie LaBue.
Macy Smykal led her team with fifth place in the all-around.
"Things have been going good, but we have some injured girls so we aren't at our strongest right now," she said. "We're just trying to work hard on getting our routines and skills down."
Racquel Suhr tied for fifth place on floor and scored a 33.65 in the all-around to take 12th overall and pace the Lancers.
Neuqua Valley's Jane Riehs had fifth-place finishes on vault and floor to help her take third in the all-around. Her teammate Bailey Modaff added a fourth-place effort on beam as the Wildcats were seventh with a 132.625.
"We had a 133 last meet, so not the same, but we are improving," Riehs said. "I'm doing better on vault compared to last year. Bars wasn't a good day for us. My routine is different from last year, but I'm still trying to improve on it."
The Fox Valley was represented by Batavia (129.625) and U-46 co-op (120.975). Geneva was also scheduled to participate but did not. The Vikings also missed invites earlier this season at DeKalb and Conant due to the teachers' strike.