Gymnasts earn pair of victories

It’s been more than two weeks since the Patriots have gotten to compete.
But they picked up right where they left off.
Jay County High School’s gymnastics team earned a pair of victories Monday, defeating the visiting Muncie Central Bearcats and Richmond Red Devils.
The Patriots, who haven’t lost since Jan. 28, 2012, initially eclipsed the 100-point mark, but a late scoring change left them just shy of triple digits with a team score of 99.975. Muncie Central scored 91.6 points for second, and Richmond was third with 85.2.
“I think their score is good for where they are right now. We had five competitors out there right now, and one of our heavy competitors is out,” said first-year JCHS coach Lana Kahlig, whose team is without the injured Courtney Miles. “Hopefully we can get her back out here within the next two weeks and we can jack that (score) up.
“I’m not worried about their score, but we need to keep at this and up. We need to stay in the 100s.”
After posting a season-high 102.95 in its Jan. 15 opener, Jay County had seen its score dip in each of the next three competitions. But the Patriots have reasons to be happy, as the last two weeks have given them time to work on new skills.
Lizzy Schoenlein won every event for the Patriots, and was able to try a new element on her routine on the uneven bars. The sophomore attempted a giant swing on the top bar but wasn’t able to rotate far enough and fell to the floor.
She was clean through the rest of her routine, including sticking the dismount, for a 7.775 despite being visibly frustrated when she was done.
“I got my giants, even though I fell on them,” she said. “It really boosted my score.”
Schoenlein’s classmate Maddie Strausburg also attempted new elements on the floor exercise. She had solid tumbling sequences, throwing in a full twist.
“She had been working on it the last two weeks while we’ve been off,” Kahlig said of Strausburg, whose score of 8.3 tied her for third with Clair Buchanan of Muncie Central. “Hopefully with some more practice we can get better, but it was nice to get it out there and try it at a meet.”
Strausburg also nailed a skill — a front handstand roll — on the balance beam she had been struggling with this season and fell on twice during warm-ups as well.
“It felt awesome,” Strausburg said of the handstand roll, which helped her to a score of 7.775. “I knew I could do it. Sometimes you just get off on the beam, but I hit it and it made me really happy.”
Fellow sophomore Jocelyn Huey had a career-high 8.2 on the floor, which Kahlig said she was pleased to see.
“She really stepped it up; had fun out there,” she said. “(She) had some showmanship and really got into her dance.”
After nailing her floor routine, Schoenlein was initially awarded a 9.45, a new career-high. But a scoring change dropped her to a 9.4, which tied her previous high score.
“I felt really good about it once I got done,” said Schoenlein, who added an 8.85 on the vault and an 8.875 on the balance beam for an all-around score of 35.1. “It tied my personal best from previously so I was happy with that.
“(I’m) just hoping that will get higher eventually.”
Malarie Houck, the lone senior on the Patriot squad, was second on the floor (8.95) and vault (8.75), and third on the bars (7.5). She was runner up to Schoenlein in the all-around competition with a 32.95.
“She’s been working hard the last two weeks we’ve been off (and) having wrist problems,” Kahlig said of Houck. “That is kind of what was holding her back tonight.”