This year, Hanover High School’s girls gymnastics team had a stellar season, excelling both in team spirit and high scores. First-year coach Shannon Gerrish had nothing but good things to say about the team, praising their fantastic skills and great bond.

The team is composed of 20 girls- senior captains Kaitlyn Powers and Marina Goba, Aly Byrne, Haley Kmito, Nicole Manning, Shannon Connelly, Devan Martin, Breanna Harris, Sarah Powers, MaryKate Whitley, Michelle Leary, Charlotte Calkin, Kelsey Kosak, Abby Goodson, Sophia Baker, Genevieve O’Donnell, Taylah Olson, Meaghan Bishop, Lauren Galotti, and MaryKate Armstrong.

A team that large surely is astounding, according to Coach Gerrish. “When I was in high school, it was a struggle to have enough girls to even have a team, so a team of 20 is really remarkable!”

The team’s overall record was 4-6, yet they came achingly close to winning a handful of times. Three meets were lost by a mere 0.5 of a point or less, and one meet was even decided by 0.05 of a point! But even with the few losses scattered throughout the season, the girls were able to finish 5th overall out of 14 teams at the league meet, their season high score tallying up to a fantastic 134.65.

“We continued to improve as the season progressed, which is every coach’s dream!” said Gerrish. “The girls and myself worked very hard to make changes to their routines to give them the best opportunity of obtaining the best score possible.”

It is clear how hard the gymnastics team worked throughout the season, and their efforts were definitely rewarded with a great overall outcome!

Some of the season highlights were Lauren Galotti’s beam score of 9.0, her vault score of 9.25, Devan Martin’s 8.2 on bars, and Kaitlyn Powers on floor with a 9.25 and all-around 34.9. But though gymnastics does lend itself to individual success, it is still a team sport. And Coach Gerrish makes it clear that the girls led a fabulous example of unity and teamwork throughout the whole gymnastics season.

“We had an amazing team morale and on a couple of different occasions went out to eat as a team after meets,” she said. “The girls were so positive and encouraging toward one another during the entire season!”

Though the gymnastics season has come to an end, it is only a matter of time before it starts up again next year. And Gerrish hopes to take the reins once again to lead her girls to victory, inspired by the fantastic demonstration of determination, skill, and focus shown by all members of HHS’s gymnastics team.