URI picks up a victory over three fellow
New England teams in home finale.
By David F.P. (Scores from eyewitness account and troester.) (Image Gallery.)
Note: This report will lean towards more coverage of URI due
to the circumstances.
Commentary
Before I begin the report itself, I am forced to admit this is
the hardest report I will probably write for some time. This is
due to the fact that I cannot help but be continually bothered by
the circumstances that have brought about the destruction of the
University of Rhode Island gymnastics team. URI was a school that
I owe a great deal to. They were the first to grant me
permissions to write reports integrating their press releases,
they were the first to treat me like an actual media agent, even
though I can only attempt to rise that standard, and doubt I’ll
ever reach it. I have enjoyed visiting the campus and seeing the
team at home and away and have tuned in to other URI sports
throughout the past few years, but yet now I am angered. Angered
at the decisions of people who apparently did not even try to
save the program, but announced it’s ending suddenly and
without hope of compromise (except perhaps the slight glimmer of
the hope of one more year of competition.) I ask myself why
couldn’t they have gone to the community first and asked for
help, what was stopping them? Why did they act as if the
gymnastics team was just an old toy they had to throw away to
make room for a “newer, better” plaything? What does it
say about the future of college athletics is that is the kind of
decision being made? I don’t know any of these answers. All
I know is that in the end it’s not me being hurt, it’s
not the athletics staff at URI, nor its President, it’s a
group of athletes who devoted themselves to a sport for most of
their lives, who have felt the pain of this decision, and what
reward was worth putting them through that?
End Commentary
| On Friday March 7th, it was about
to rain, three buses moved into the parking area in front
of the athletics complex at the University of Rhode
Island and from them emerged three teams, MIT’s
Engineers, Yale’s Bulldogs, and SCSU’s Owls,
potentially the last gymnastics teams every to visit
Mackal Fieldhouse and take on the Rhode Island Rams. The
warm ups proceeded as various fans arrived to fill the
stands, most clad in URI colors, some in those of the
visitors. Under normal circumstances this would be a
celebratory night, a send off for the senior class, but
tonight it would be more than that, but even so business
proceeded as normal. |
 |
 |
When competition time came MIT,
SCSU, and Yale moved to the mat and lined up and the Rams
followed accepting the home crowd’s applause as they
arrived. Rhody’s Jamie Reyell would sing the
national anthem and received a fitting ovation at its
conclusion. Some tears began to fall and the meet began… |
It was a packed house...
 |
For all four teams this meet would
have its setbacks, URI would win with a 189 to Yale’s
185.775, SCSU’s 182.575, and MIT’s 177.225, but
the victory would come with its own tribulations.
Nonetheless URI started out with an enthusiastic vault
rotation. The Vault, due to its brevity, is perhaps the
best event to pump up the crowd at the start of the meet.
Rhody’s six gymnasts, Kara Machado (9.325), Lindsay
Diamond (9.4), Lauren Wasilewski (9.525), Danielle
Riportella (9.65), Erica Heaney (9.2), Ananda Fraser
(9.7) all received cheers as they hit the mat, and Casey
Pereira exhibitioned with a 9.5 to keep the cheers
coming. |
 |
Rhody was on Bars next and Reyell
led off with a 9.3, followed by Kelsey Thompson’s
9.175, Fraser’s 9.475, Heaney’s 9.5, Riportella’s
9.7, and Rinaldo’s 9.5, another solid rotation for
the Rams. Krista Dominici and Kerry Cutler also
exhibitioned on the event
|
 |
Turning to Rotation 3 and the
Beam, Alex Tirado led off with a 9.5, Heaney followed,
Pereira was third up, Jordana Ginsburg picked up a 9.075,
Danielle Lee scored a 9.65, and Bridget Murphy had a
9.05. Erika Sloan also performed an exhibition routine as
well. The Beam was a tough event for all four teams in
the meet producing its share of falls and missteps, which
is the event's reputation. Finally
on Rotation 4, Kara Machado led off with a season high
9.5, followed by Pereira’s 9.075, Reyell’s
season high 9.575, Diamond’s season high 9.575, Lee’s
9.175, and Fraser’s season high 9.825.
|
 |
For second place Yale it was a
lower than usual scoring meet, but still had its high
points. On the Vault Brigitte Kivisto led the way with a
her 9.5, followed by Allison Mak and Lauren Tatsuno’s
9.35, Alina Liao and Kristen Campbell’s 9.325 and
Laura Lombardi’s 9.275.
On the Bars, Lombardi picked up a 9.525, and Kivisto had
a 9.425. Sherry Yang was third among Bulldogs with her
9.025. On the treacherous Beam, Kivisto had a season high
9.75, Campbell scored a 9.45 for second place among the
blue and white, Lombardi and Tatsuno scored 9.175s and
Liao had a 9.1.
Finally on Floor, Liao’s 9.675 was the highest
Bulldog score, Kivisto had a 9.625, Tatsuno a 9.55,
Campbell a 9.475, Mak a 9.075, and Katherine Yao had a
9.025.
|
 |
For third place Southern
Connecticut, the score represented unfortunately their
lowest of the year, but every team has to have a season
low at some point so it’s likely just a blip of some
kind. The team still turned in a vault rotation featuring
Justine Basley’s 9.5, Erika Pysh’s 9.425,
Brittany Otto’s 9.325, Briana DiPinto’s 9.3,
and Samantha Laraway’s 9.2. On the bars, Sarah Darst
continued to lead the team with a 9.575, Basley had a
9.525, Taylor Murray picked up a 9.175 as well. The Beam
brought Basley a 9.65, Pysh had a 9.625, and Krystie
Tomlinson scored a 9.25. On Floor, Basley had a 9.575 in
what may be an anomalous rotation, for what in general is
an SCSU team that kicks proverbial behind on the FX.
|
 |
For MIT there was good news and
bad news. The good news though came in Julia Zimmerman’s
9.55 vault as well as Alison Barnard’s 9.475,
Elizabeth Stavely’s 9.225, Sarah Trowbridge’s
9.15, and Rebecca Stavely just missed 9. On the Bars,
Sophia Harrison scored a 9.525, and Zimmerman had a
9.275. The Beam caught its share of Engineers this meet
as well, but Zimmerman picked up a 9.475. On the Floor,
Harrison picked up a 9.075, and Zimmerman had a 9.55.
Kivisto would win the all around with a 38.3 over Basley’s
38.25, and Zimmerman’s 37.85.
Following the meet, a ceremony was held to honor the URI
team as a whole and also recognized the seniors from the
three other teams visiting as well. The crowd showed its
appreciation of the team and its coaching staff as well.
A large storm had rolled in during the meet pelting the
area with rain, perhaps it was a sign of something deeper
than this report can cover. |
Moves:
URI
Vault
Machado
Tsukahara. back layout.
Diamond
Yurchenko, back layout.
Wasilewski
FHS, Front Tuck.
Riportella
Yurchenko, (full twisting salto off.)
Heaney
Yurchenko into (1/2 twist front layout off.)
Fraser
FHS, Front pike.
Pereira (EX)
Yurchenko, full twist off.
Bars
Reyell
Mounts from front of apparatus, pushes off low bar to reach high
bar.
Grip changes. Gienger. Back tuck dismount off high bar.
Thompson
Mounts from behind the high bar.
Does a release. (I don't know what this move is called she swings
forward on the high bar does a full turn, and then straddles, and
catches the bar between her legs.)
Aerial transition from high to low.
Back tuck dismount off high bar.
Fraser
Mounts from middle behind low bar.
Turn on low bar. Aerial transition from below low bar to high
bar. Grip changes on high bar including turns. Back transition
from high to low bar.
Back tuck dismount off high bar.
Heaney
Mounts from front of apparatus, pushes off low bar to reach high
bar. Turning grip change.
Tkatchev.
Aerial transition from high to low.
Grip change prior to dismount.
Back tuck dismount off high bar.
Riportella
Mounts from front of apparatus, over low bar to reach high bar.
Turning grip change.
Gienger.
Aerial transition from high to low.
Back layout dismount off high bar.
Rinaldo
Mounts from front of apparatus, pushes off low bar to reach high
bar.
Turning grip change.
Jaeger. (Straddled.)
Aerial transition from high to low.
Back tuck dismount off high bar.
Dominici (EX)
Mount to low bar, gienger, aerial high to low transition, back
tuck dismount.
Cutler (EX)
Mounts from middle behind low bar.
A variety of aerial transitions, grip change on high bar.
Back tuck dismount off high bar.
Beam
Tirado
Mount to the middle of the beam, pirouette, wolf jump, switch
split into
straddle jump, back handspring walkout, back handspring walkout,
back layout stepout, (handstand variation in a split position),
changement, straddle jump with turn RO, 1 1/2 twists off end of
the beam.
Heaney
Front flip onto end of the beam, pirouette, back handspring
walkout, layout stepout, switch split leap, split jump,
changement, split jump with turn, full front twist off end of the
beam.
Pereira
Mount to center of the beam, then holds herself into a split type
maneuver, some other dance moves at beam level, back tuck
pirouette...tuck jump with turn, split switch leap, changement,
wolf jump with turn, front tuck, (full twist off end of the beam
to side of the beam dismount.)
Ginsburg
Mount to middle of the beam, RO, back layout stepout...split jump
standing sideways on beam, split jump standing sideways on beam,
switch split jump, tuck jump with turn, (aerial roundoff),
pirouette, gainer full twist off middle of the beam to side of
the beam.
Lee
Mount to middle of the beam, (front handspring), back layout
stepout, pirouette, switch split leap, split jump with turn,
changement, double stag jump, (back layout stepout?)...full twist
off end of beam dismount.
Murphy
Front flip onto end of the beam, BHS walkout, BHS walkout, layout
stepout, dance moves at beam level, pirouette variation, switch
split leap, tuck jump with turn, wolf jump with turn, front full
twist off end of the beam dismount.
Sloan
Mount unknown...back handspring walkout, layout stepout, switch
split leap, straddle jump, pirouette, front tuck...switch split
into side split jump, front full twist off end of the beam.
Floor
Machado
A flourish of dancing sets the stage for pass one...
P1: front handspring*, front full twist, front layout.
Wolf jump with turn.
P2: Roundoff back 1/2 twist, front layout.
Straddle jump with turn, tuck jump with turn. Butterfly, (some
sort of
dive roll.)
P3: front handspring*, full front twist, front tuck.
Pereira
Tuck jump with turn.
P1: front handspring*, front 1 1/2 twist
switch split to ring jump, split jump with full turn.
P2: Roundoff, back handspring, 2 twists.
Wolf jump with turn, tuck jump with turn.
P3: front handspring*, full twist, front tuck.
Reyell
Wolf jump with turn.
P1: front handspring*, front 1 1/2 twist
switch split to ring jump
Wolf with turn, split jump with turn.
P2: FHS*, full twist, front tuck.
P3: RO, back 1 1/2 twists, front tuck.
Diamond
Strug.
P1: Roundoff, Back Handspring, double back pike.
P2: front handspring*, front layout, front layout.
Split jump into straddle jump. Straddle jump with turn.
P3: Front 1/2 twist.
Lee
Wolf jump with turn.
P1: Roundoff, Back Handspring, double back pike.
Some sort of split jumps with turns.
P2: front handspring*, Front full twist.
Wolf jump with turn, straddle jump with turn.
P3: front handspring*, Front layout, Front full twist.
Double stag with turn.
Fraser
P1: Front tuck, Roundoff, Back Handspring, double back tuck.
Strug, straddle with turn, straddle with turn.
(One handed back walkover)
P2: Roundoff, Back Handspring, double back pike.
(One handed handstand of some type.)(Aerial roundoff)
P3: front handspring*, front full twist, front tuck.
Staats (EX)
YALE FLOOR
Mak
pirouette, split jump with turn.
Tumbling Pass 1: round off, back handspring, 2 twists.
illusion, walkover into sit, switch split leap, strug.
Tumbling Pass 2: front handspring*, front layout, front layout.
2 turns with leg extended.
Tumbling Pass 3: front handspring*, 1 twist.
Yao
Tumbling Pass 1: roundoff, back handspring, 1 1/2 twist, punch
front tuck.
Tumbling Pass 2: ...
Tumbling Pass 3: roundoff, back handspring, 2 full twists.
Campbell
Tumbling Pass 1: round off, back handspring, double back pike.
Split jump with turn, straddle jump with turn. Switch split into
Ring Jump, wolf jump with turn.
Tumbling Pass 2: front handspring*, front layout, front layout.
front handspring*, (Some sort of pike jump into drop to the
floor.), pirouette.
Tumbling Pass 3: front handspring*, full twist.
Kivisto
Tumbling Pass 1: front handspring*, 2 twists.
Switch split leap, straddle jump, jump to floor.
Tumbling Pass 2: round off, back handspring?, 2 twists.
Wolf jump with turn. Wolf jump with turn.
Tumbling Pass 3: round off, back handspring, two twists.
Tatsuno
Tumbling Pass 1: Front tuck, round off, back handspring, double
back tuck.
...straddle jump with turn.
Tumbling Pass 2: round off, back layout, 1 1/2 twists.
Wolf with turn.
Tumbling Pass 3: round off, back handspring, 1 1/2 twists.
Liao
Tumbling Pass 1: round off, back handspring, 2 1/2 twist, front
tuck.
Strug. (Jump to the floor.) Pirouette, Tuck Jump.
Tumbling Pass 2: round off, back handspring, double back pike.
Tumbling Pass 3: round off, 1/2 twist, front full twist.
YALE VAULT
Lombardi
Tsukahara, back layout dismount.
Campbell
Yurchenko, Back Layout.
Kivisto
Yurchenko, Back layout.
Liao
Yurchenko, back layout.
Mak
Yurchenko, back layout.
Tatsuno
Yurchenko, back layout.
YALE BEAM
Campbell
Mount to beam, holds self in straight position perpindicular to
beam, dance moves at beam level...Switch split leap, back layout
step out, pirouette...straddle jump, turning tuck jump, front
full twisting dismount off end of the beam.
Mak
Mounts to end of the beam and does Flares, illusion, (aerial
roundoff), layout stepout?, switch split jump, wolf jump, back
pike off end of the beam dismount.
Lombardi
Mount onto middle of the beam, split jump, straddle jump,
straddle jump, Back handspring walkout, layout stepout, split
jump, sheep jump, pirouette, changement, back pike off end of the
beam dismount.
Kivisto
Mount onto middle of beam into handstand, turn while in handstand
position into holding onto beam while doing split. Back
handspring?,layout stepout. Switch split into Ring Jump. Switch
split leap. Straddle jump. Back flip, pirouette. roundoff, 2
twists off.
Tatsuno
Mount unknown, pirouette, switch split leap, straddle jump, back
tuck, back handspring, back flip, back pike dismount off end of
the beam.
Liao
Mount onto the middle of the beam, wolf jump with turn, (one
handed back handspring walkout), layout stepout, dance moves at
beam level, cat leap, split jump into straddle jump, (aerial
roundoff), round off, two twists off end of the beam dismount.
MIT BEAM
Routine A
...pirouette variation, pike jump with turn...FHS*, back
walkover, switch split leap, tuck jump with turn, RO, full twist
off the end of the beam.
Routine B
...Back handspring walkout, layout stepout, handstand variant,
dance moves at beam level, switch split leap, straddle jump, full
twist off end of the beam.
Routine C
...switch split leap, straddle jump, RO, back flip, pirouette,
pike jump, tuck jump with turn, switch split into side split,
full twist off end of the beam.
Routine D
Mount to beam, back handspring walkout, layout stepout...some
sort of flip from sitting position...switch split leap, wolf jump
with turn, gainer full twist to side of the beam dismount.
Routine E
Mount to beam, switch split leap, wolf jump with turn, back
handspring walkout, layout stepout...back pike dismount off end
of the beam.
Zimmerman
Front flip on to end of the beam mount, pirouette variant, switch
split leap, turning split jump, back handspring walkout, layout
stepout, straddle jump, straddle jump, front full twist off end
of the beam.
Routine G
Front flip onto beam, handstand variant, dance moves at beam
level, pirouette, switch split leap, split jump, back tuck jump,
back handspring walkout?, switch split leap, tuck jump with turn,
back pike dismount.
MIT FLOOR
Routine A
P1: RO, BHS, double back tuck.
P2: RO, BHS, 1 1/2 twists, front tuck.
P3: RO, BHS, 1 1/2 twists.
Routine B
P1: RO, BHS, double back pike.
P2: FHS*, Front layout, front layout.
P3: ...
Routine C
P1: RO, 1 1/2 twist, front tuck.
P2: FHS*, 1 1/2 twist.
P3: RO, BHS, 1 1/2 twist.
Routine D
P1: RO, BHS, double back pike.
P2: ...front layout, front tuck.
P3: FHS*, full twist.
Zimmerman
P1: RO, BHS, double back pike.
P2: Front full twist, front pike.
P3: FHS*, front layout, 1/2 twist.
Harrison
P1: RO, BHS, double back pike.
P2: FHS*, front layout, front layout.
P3: FHS*, front full twist.
SCSU FLOOR
Routine 1
P1: RO, BHS, Double back pike.
P2: FHS*, Full twist, front pike.
P3:...
Routine 2
P1:...
P2: RO, BHS, full twist.
P3: RO, BHS, 2 twists.
Basley
Tumbling Pass 1: round off, back handspring, double back pike.
Straddle with turn, tuck jump with turn, pirouette.
Tumbling Pass 2: front handspring*, front layout, front layout.
wolf jump with turn.
Tumbling Pass 3:...
DiPinto
...
Tumbling Pass 2: roundoff, back handspring, 1 1/2 twist, front
tuck.
roundoff, Stag jump, split jump with turn. Wolf jump with turn.
Split jump.
Tumbling Pass 3: roundoff, back handspring, 1 1/2 twist.
Pysh
Tumbling Pass 1: round off, back handspring, double back pike.
Wolf jump with turn. Straddle jump with turn. Wolf jump with
turn.
...(Aerial round off)
Tumbling Pass 3: round off, back handspring, 1 1/2 twist.
Fern
Tumbling Pass 1: round off, back handspring, double back tuck.
side straddle, wolf jump with turn.
Tumbling Pass 2: Front handspring *, front layout, front layout.
Straddle jump, dive roll, wolf with turn, straddle jump with
turn, tuck jump with turn.
Tumbling Pass 3: round off, back handspring, full twist.
SCSU BEAM
Proulx
Mount to beam, switch split leap, straddle jump, back tuck, back
handspring walkout, pirouette...tuck jump with turn, back full
twist from standing sideways on beam to the floor.
Tomlinson
Mount to beam...(aerial roundoff.), RO, switch split leap,
straddle jump, back flip to beam, full twist off end of the beam
dismount.
Murray
Mount to beam...back handspring walkout, layout stepout, switch
split leap, straddle jump, straddle jump, pirouette, switch split
into straddle jump, gainer full twist to side of the beam.
Basley
Mount to beam, dance moves at beam level, pirouette, switchs plit
leap, straddle jump, back handspring walkout...front tuck, gainer
full twist dismount to side of the beam.
DiPinto
Mount to beam, bakc handspring walkout, back tuck, split jump
with turn. straddle jump, back tuck. split switch leap, straddle
jump, pirouette, RO, 1 1/2 twists off end of beam.
Pysh
Mount to beam, dance moves at beam level, pirouette, switch split
leap, straddle jump, straddle jump, back handspring walkout,
layout stepout, gainer layout stepout (later on), full twist off
end of the beam.
SCSU VAULT
Routine A
Tsukhara, back pike.
Routine B
Tsukhara, back layout.
Routine C
Tsukhara, back layout.
Routine D
Tsukahara, back layout.
Routine E PARTIAL
...back layout.
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