James, Patriots to open Saturday

The Patriot gymnastics team almost didn’t have a season.

For a while, they were without a coach.

But a former gymnast returned to the program, this time to lead them.

Melynda (Brackman) James, a 2011 Jay County High School graduate, takes the helm of the Patriot gymnastics team as they open their season Saturday in the Northwestern Invitational.

“I always wanted to be involved in the community,” said James, who was a cheerleader at University of Indianapolis, later lived in Georgia for a few years and returned to Jay County in 2016. “Gymnastics is just a love of mine.”

James inherits a seven-member squad with just two upperclassmen. Kenzie Ring, the lone senior, returns as the most experienced Patriot gymnast, having finished 12th in the all-around competition at sectional her junior year.

Ring had the team’s best sectional performance on uneven bars (14th) and balance beam (18th) while also placing 23rd on floor exercise and 27th on vault.

“She’s a senior, she’s going to be the leader,” James said. “I expect her to be the top dog almost every meet. I really want to get her out of sectional.

“We’re really going to try to push her this year, especially on bars and beam.”

Macy Miller, a transfer from Delta, is the only other upperclassman. James said her best event is the beam, and she hopes to get the junior through to regional as well.

Lilly Rogers and Cassidy Upp are the team’s two sophomores. Upp competed on vault at sectional, and placed 41st. Rogers is a JCHS gymnast for the first time.

“She gets into her floor a lot,” James said of Rogers. “She’s going to be a good asset to floor. She’s got a good personality; it shows through on the event.”

On Upp: “She’s such a positive teammate and has worked so hard. She’s gotten more skills so we’re working (them) on her floor and her beam.”

Erin Ring, Kenzie’s younger sister, Makinsey Murphy and Karci Hopkins make up the three-member class of freshmen. James said the trio is coachable in that they have a don’t-say-no attitude and do what their coach asks of them.

James also added Murphy has the potential to be the team’s third scorer behind Kenzie Ring and Miller.

Jay County was unable to have a full team total on uneven bars at last year’s sectional, so the Patriots totaled 82.05 and placed 10th out of 11 teams. James is hopeful to add about 13 points to the team score this year. To achieve that goal, she said it’ll take consistency on their routines from one meet to the next.

“We do different goals each meet,” she said. “I really want us to be positive and work each day and improve each day.”

Following Saturday's season opener, Jay County has its only home meet Jan. 28 as it hosts Huntington North. The Patriots then go to the Western Invitational on Jan. 30, and to Richmond Feb. 8. They have a Feb. 13 date at Muncie Central ahead of a Feb. 20 meet at New Castle. Sectional is slated for Feb. 27 at Concordia.

“I want us to improve each meet,” James said.