By Emily Gilburt

With high hopes, new recruits and strong competition, the Sherwood gymnastics team is preparing for the upcoming season, and their first meet, taking place on March 27 at Blake against Walt Whitman.  All the dusty equipment has been removed from the closet, now that the spring sport has finally begun. Each athlete has finalized their decisions based on which apparatus they would like to perform: Floor, Beam, Vault or Bars. Both coaches, Allie Bendymered and Gary Peters, and team captains, Ellie Wiersma ’14, Jenna Gearhart ‘15 and Megan Weitzner ‘15, have been assisting each athlete in formulating a routine in anticipation for the upcoming meet.

However, the rival high schools have acquired new equipment and coaches, posing potential threats. BCC, Walt Whitman and Springbrook have all received a new coach, which leaves the Sherwood team uninformed as to how skilled and practiced these unknown coaches are.

The Sherwood team is in the process of obtaining a new gymnastics floor exercising mat from the Warrior Club, which will be used by both the gymnastics team and the cheerleading teams. “The gymnastics team and I would like to thank the Warrior Club for this new piece of equipment,” said Coach Peters. As the date of the meet approaches, the gymnastics athletes strive to widen their variety, technique and capacities in order to incorporate new skills into the upcoming season.