By Christopher Tremblay

Taking part in the Tri-Valley League, is not only a small league (four teams), but also a very powerful one. With such robust competition, Norwood gymnastics finds themselves looking up at teams instead of being on the top of the ladder.

“Every year brings a different aspect to it, this one we find ourselves very young and in a rebuilding type of season,” Norwood Gymnastic Coach Karen Broderick said. “Last year we finished fourth in the league, and while it doesn’t seem all that great, the three teams above us all made it not the tournament, where only 12 teams make it. S, much like last year, I still believe that we’ll be competitive within the league.”

With the season getting ready to begin, Broderick and the Mustangs will most likely be without Shea Larkee, one of their strongest all-around performers, who will be sidelined with a knee injury. 

“We will definitely miss her; she is a competitive individual for sure and was looking forward to her this season, but we will probably not see her all year,” the Mustang Coach said. “Now we’ll have to be creative with our routines because the majority of the girls are not up to par, skill level wise with what we are used to. We will have to focus more on the girls individual strengths in the best way that we can.”

This winter, Norwood seems to have a lot of seasonal gymnasts that participate in other sports with only a handful of club gymnasts. Broderick doesn’t negate the girls taking part in other sports for the high school, but she does realize that it will be a challenge to get them ready as quicky as possible for the beginning of the season. 

“We have a lot of talented individuals, we just have to wake it [talent] up as it’s been sleeping for the last nine months or so,” Broderick said.

With Larkee sidelined, Broderick will be relying heavily on Lucy Scafati. The junior is capable of taking part in all four events and will be looked upon as a leader who sets the tone for the other girls. According to the coach, Scafati has done all four events, but not all at once. Broderick knows that Scafati has the ability and is up to the challenge and is hoping that she’ll be able to pick up the slack in the absence of Larkee.

Freshman Casey Collins brings an amazing vaulting prowess to the team, but assuming she will be ready for high school competition is still up in the air. The coach is looking for Collins to step up and become a role model for all the other incoming freshman this winter.

Another gymnast who is similar to Scafati in terms of taking part in all four events is Paige McBrien, but Broderick especially likes what she brings to the table on the bars.

“I’ll be looking to lean on Paige during this event as not many girls take part on the bars,” Broderick said. “It’s probably also our weakest event. It all depends on the talent of the rest of the girls to see what they can do, but we will definitely be leaning on her.”

Senior Maddie Carriero brings four years to the team this season as well as leadership and a great personality. She is a cheerleader who transitioned to gymnastics and has strong floor presence while improving each year over the last three seasons to become a solid individual that Broderick can rely on during her season campaign.

In addition to the returners, Norwood has a lot of incoming freshman who have experience that will allow Norwood to build the program this year.

“It’s still early in the planning stages, but by not having Shea we’ll have to make some adjustments, but we’re hopeful,” Broderick said. “This year, I think that we’ll try not to focus on wins and losses, but the high school experience by staying positive with what we can do.”

Although it may not be possible to overtake the other three teams in the TVL, Norwood is looking to put forth their best effort on each and every event while hoping that the younger athletes improve as the year goes on.