Relaxed gymnasts taking it slow as they seek title defense

There's a little shuttle bus that has been arranged by Oak Creek Athletic Director Greg Lampe's office that has made conveying everyone on the Franklin-Muskego-Oak Creek-Whitnall (FMOW) girls' gymnastics team to practice just a little easier.

Not so much need for the junior and senior girls to be ferrying everyone back and forth.

And that is one less headache for coach Katie Moore and the defending WIAA Division 1 state champions to worry about as they prepare for another banner season with less weight on their shoulders and more fun to think about.

"Let's just say that we feel like we have a little more perspective this season," said Moore after the locals got their season fully underway with a second in the Waterford Emerald Invitational. "Unlike the last couple of years, there's no real rush for us to prove ourselves. We feel like we can take our time and get ready (for the WIAA series of meets in March)."

"The kids are working hard and in condition, but like I said, there's no hurry to throw in our big tricks yet. Right now, the health of everyone is our major concern."

And if the locals do get completely healthy, it'll be bad news for the rest of the state as they return nine of 11 girls who helped the team capture that first-ever state championship.

They include junior defending state vault champion Lauren Zurowski, along with junior seventh-place all-around finisher Melanie Pearson.

Other returnees include seniors Courtney L'Huillier (all events but uneven bars) and Lexi Norgal (floor exercise and balance beam), juniors Sammie Olson (balance beam), Paige Schreiber, Becca Teska, Rachel Tillman (bars), Shannon Hein (all-around) and Alyssa Berhendt (top bars performer).

Sophomores include Katelynn Benitez and Jessica Kossoris (beam) and freshmen Aloexus Bell (vault) and Taylor Oleszak (beam champion at the Emerald Invite).

Questions that Moore and her staff will have to answer include how well will Norgal recover from a bad ankle injury suffered last season) and how well will Schreiber recover from her second ACL knee surgery in as many years.

"We're trying to keep our ankles healthy," said Moore. "We haven't done many live landings at all (in practice) and we haven't done any flips yet. There is no urgency just yet. We're just trying to take it all in. We'll keep working hard, and keep our eyes on where we want to be at the end of the season."

"We've come in confident and we're looking at building more of it. We have depth in our lineup and a lot of options to choose from."

Moore said that the junior class is full of strong personalities and she's hoping some real leaders emerge from that group.

Burlington won the eight-team Waterford meet with a 143.8 score while FMOW was second with 139.8.

Oleszak turned in a mark of 9.05 to claim the beam while Zurowski was third (8.925), Schreiber fifth (8.875) and Behrendt eighth (8.65). Behrendt was seventh on bars (8.9) while Hein was eighth on vault (8.875).

Zurowski was second in floor exercise (9.425) while L'Huillier was sixth (9.025) and Benitez was seventh (9.0). Zurowski was FMOW's only all-around performer, taking fifth (35.1).

The locals will get another severe challenge when they see Burlington again on Saturday, along with the powerful host team the Warhawks in the Arrowhead Invite.