One question has loomed over the Mercer Island High School gymnastics team during the off season: How do you replace the best gymnast in school history? The answer is that it can’t.
Nine months removed from the team’s most successful season, in which it won the 3A KingCo dual meet title, 3A KingCo championship and district meet and finished second in state by the narrowest of margins, the team returned to the gym.
“There is no making up for losing Kelsey (Ingram),” said head coach Lenny Lewis, about the 2006 KingCo all-around champion. “We are very deep and we just need to stay healthy.”
Lewis said that last year he had the same feeling. The team had lost Ashley Wedlake, who had set multiple team records and he was worried about the impact of losing a top gymnast.
“It is a little different,” said Lewis. “But we know what we have in the other girls and Kelsey made an impact.”
Ingram not only broke nearly all the Mercer Island High School records but maybe more importantly, she showed her teammates what it takes to win.
“There are no complaints because they saw last year that if they work hard it will pay off,” said Lewis. “I don’t have to give them instruction because they know what they have to do.”
This year the Islanders have two gymnasts who will lead the team during meets and both are juniors.
Laura Maruhashi and Olivia Harvey have been two of the top gymnasts in KingCo during the past two seasons. Both will look to take their skills to the next level.
“They are our two big guns,” said Lewis. “They are ready. They both have come in good shape and they want to learn more.”
Both girls got the all important experience of competition at state last year and dealing with the pressures of competing against the best gymnasts in Washington.
“I want to really motivate the team and get them pumped up,” said Maruhashi. “We just need to continue to have a good attitude about competition.”
Senior team captains Lauren Govier and Kristen Shibuya also have big shoes to fill.
“Kelsey was a really good role model,” said Govier. “It was inspirational to see how good we could be. She gave us confidence and all the girls have worked really hard over the summer.”
The Islanders’ biggest weakness could be their biggest strength in a few years.
“We have a lot of kids fresh off the boat who don’t know a lot about gymnastics,” said Lewis. “We have to take time with those kids.”
That extra time makes the captains all the more important. And the captains know that the preseason is an important time to get a good jump on the season.
“This team has a good work ethic,” said Govier, who has played three sports each year of her high school career. “We are doing a lot of conditioning.”
One of the key reasons for last year’s regular season success was the uncharacteristic early season success.
“We have always started slow but last year was different,” said Lewis. “We need a good start.”
The Islanders’ early schedule is not as tough as last season. They will not meet powerhouse Issaquah until January 4. But forgive the Islanders if they circle the final meet of the season against Newport a few more times. The Islanders beat Newport at every turn last year except on the final day of the team competition of state.
“We beat ourselves but we have a good rivalry with them,” said Lewis.
With Newport defending the state title, Issaquah being one of the top programs in the state each year and Mercer Island finishing second at state last year, 3A KingCo is the toughest league in the state. The addition of Skyline, who defeated Mercer Island the last time the two teams met, makes getting to districts extremely tough this season.
“We have to get past either Issaquah or Newport,” said Lewis. “But state is a little different this season.”
State allocations have increased this season from four teams to eight.
Head coach: Lenny Lewis (18th year)
Assistant coach: Jenny Nakamura
Last year’s record and accomplishments: 8-0, won the 3A KingCo Championship meet, dual met title, district title, second in state.
Key returning gymnasts: Olivia Harvey (Jr.); Lauren Govier (Sr.); Kristen Shibuya (Sr.); Laura Maruhashi (Jr.); Erika Reutimann (So.); Tracey Tomlinson (Jr.).
Key newcomers: Kendra Johnson (So.); Brittney Horn (Jr); Taylor Maclean (Sr.); Hannah Hedrick (Jr.).
Key losses: Kelsey Ingram, Taryn Matthews; Mimi Maritz; Galit Almosnino.
Key meets: Newport and Issaquah.
First meet of the year: 7 p.m. December 7, at Sammamish