Girls’ gymnastics showed a strong sense of community in a 139.5-121.3 win against Walpole Friday, Jan. 3. The Tigers continued their undefeated streak as they wowed both the judges and the audience members with their determination and camaraderie.
The meet started with North on vault and Walpole on uneven bars. The Tigers started strong and progressed even stronger, with freshman Lucia Grapski and senior Sofia Dukakis, a captain along with seniors Molly Haughton and Kristina Petrulakis, both scoring over 9 points.
“We know we could do better,” said Dukakis. “Even with a couple hiccups, we were still able to keep our momentum going and score pretty well as a team.”
Dukakis had the highest overall score of any player at the meet.
“Dukakis definitely stood out on vault and bars,” said head coach Cassie Ford.
On beam, junior Samantha Shu’s routine impressed the audience and her fellow team members.
“Shu started us off with a bang for sure with a really solid routine,” said sophomore Simona Batista-Ciani. According to Batista-Ciani, Shu’s performance set a positive vibe for the remaining competitors to follow.
Another highlight of the meet was Batista-Ciani’s floor routine. Starting off with her body on the ground, she brought herself around, then strutted around the floor while doing flips, tucks, and straddles. Each trick was complete with her signature confident flare.
According to Ford, Batista-Ciani had superb performances all around, especially considering her recent recovery from a sprained ankle.
“I think I did really well,” said Bastita-Ciani. “I definitely have some points to improve upon, but I’m still coming back from my ankle sprain, so every step I take I’m proud of.”
According to Ford, the best part of the meet was the team morale. “Even with falls on events, everyone just kept supporting each other,” she said.
Aside from the performers, the most impressive aspect of the meet was the community surrounding everyone on both teams. This was most prominent after North and Walpole made their first switch and North was on the uneven bars. One of the girls had to redo her routine on them, and her team was encouraging her as she got back up. As the Walpole headed over to the floor, members of the team waited to watch her as well, with almost as much enthusiasm as the Tigers.
Grapski said, “Today went really well, especially for the second day back from break. People were getting back into their routines and everyone worked really hard to pull out a win today.”
The Tigers, 2-0, defeated Wellesley, Needham, Weymouth, and Braintree, breaking their record multiple times in the process. They will face Natick Tuesday, Jan. 28. at home.
