Park’s Emily Dahlstrom finished first on the floor, first on the vault and first in the all-around Friday to pace the host Wolfpack in girls' gymnastics.
Dahlstrom won the floor exercise …
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Park’s Emily Dahlstrom finished first on the floor, first on the vault and first in the all-around Friday to pace the host Wolfpack in girls' gymnastics.
Dahlstrom won the floor exercise with a 9.1, the vault with an 8.8 and the all-around with a 33.775. She was second on the beam (8.375) and sixth on the bars (7.4).
“I do love floor,” said Dahlstrom. “For me I think I did really good tonight. I competed a souk which I haven’t done this season just because of consistency so I was really proud to out that back in. And my beam series is a front walkover back handspring. I was struggling with those during the beginning of the season, so I switched it but I out it back in this meet. So, this was a very successful meet for myself I’d say.
“And as a team I think we’ve been coming along well,” Dahlstrom added. “It’s always hard to start off in the beginning of the season, especially since during off season we don’t do many routines. So, building up that endurance is hard. But I do think we did a good job and it’s the first home meet, so we still have a lot to improve on.”
Visiting White Bear Lake edged Park in the team race, 129.650 to 128.900.
“We’re improving,” said Park head coach Ali Flaata. “Some of our girls are coming back from injury so that was good to have some more people in the lineup. Improvements on every event. We had a lot of bar connections which we have been working really, really, really hard in practice on connecting our bar routines. And a lot of people did that tonight, that was awesome. We got a few more people to stay on the beam. It was good.”
Clara Opichka finished fifth in the all-around with a score of 31.550. Opichka was second on the vault (8.550), eighth on the bars (7.1), fifth on the beam (7.850) and fifth on the floor (8.050).
Natalya Rugel was seventh in the all-around (30.500). Rugel had an 8.45 on the vault to finish sixth and was ninth on the bars (6.625), ninth on the beam (7.375).
Ashley Davis scored a 24.075 to place eighth in the all-around. Davis led Park athletes on the bars, scoring a 7.875 to finish second. She was also second on the floor (8.525) and seventh on the beam (7.675).
“Ashley Davis made her bar routine and we were waiting and counting on her to come back because we need her on bars,” said Flaata.
Natalie Peters was 10th in the all-around with a 15.625. She scored an 8.4 on the vault and a 7.225 on the bars.
“We have a lot of potential,” said Park senior Annelise Faletti. “Yes, a lot of potential. I think attitudes are a big thing though, so we have some girls there. But I think we’re going to be really good toward the end of the season.”
Faletti said the team’s goal was to hit a 140 this season.
“We have lots of work to get there,” Faletti said. “But I think we’re going to make it. We’ve just got a lot of hard work to do.”
The work also got a little bit harder for Park as a team with the decision of junior standout Rainna Jamison to not come out for gymnastics this season. Jamison, a talented three-sport athlete, was eighth in the section gymnastics all-round last season and a state competitor on the bars for Park two seasons ago.
“She’s a talented athlete,” said Flaata. “She choose to focus on some other things this year. I think some of our other girls are ready to step in and step up. There’s definitely a hole, especially on bars, because we counted on her on that for sure, but I think we’ll be OK.”
Park competes at Stillwater Thursday, starting at 6 p.m.
