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Mundelein (141.5) finished runner-up, followed by Glenbrook South (133.2) and Glenbrook North (129.675). “We began like gangbusters,” Scouts coach Robin Straus said. “Beautiful … all were beautiful,” she added. “We had our best bars routines of the season, not in terms of scores but in the way they looked.” The Scouts’ “batting average” for the night: an attractive, and hefty, .800 (16-for-20). “The goal was to hit 17 routines,” Straus said. “Eighteen would have been great.” Ever-steady LF junior Kat “Can Do” McKeon earned the maximum number of sectional berths (five), after topping the all-around (37.325) and bars (9.475) fields and finishing second on beam (9.325), fourth on floor (9.25) and fifth on vault (9.275). The top five finishers, in each event and in the all-around, advanced automatically to next week’s sectional round. Scouts sophomore Brittany Moccia (fourth in the all-around, 36.3) also struck gold, executing a meet-best 9.575 vault. She also earned sectional berths on bars (fourth, 9.125) and beam (fifth, 8.875) and has a good shot, Straus noted, at landing an at-large berth on floor (8.75). LF Junior Kylie Carlson exited the home gym as a four-time sectional qualifier: all-around (fifth place, 36.175); floor (champion, 9.6), vault (second, 9.475) and bars (third, 9.25). Gutsy LF junior Carly Schmidt, battling a sore back, scored a season-best 34.65 in the all-around, a likely at-large aggregate. Her mark on vault (9.25) also appears high enough to qualify for at-large status. “Carly,” Straus said, “might qualify at-large in all events. “We’re going to let her rest and treat that injury. We want her back to calm down, heal up.” At-large sectional qualifiers will be determined after the conclusion of the last regional. Junior Christine Andersen and freshman Laura Blake also competed for LF at the regional. Round 2: LF vies for state berths Feb. 9 at the Niles North Sectional, meaning LF will have had eight days to prepare for the big meet. A state team berth would be LF’s third straight. “The plan, after fine-tuning some things, is to cut down on our falls and do what we’re capable of doing,” said Straus, whose Scouts finished runner-up at state last year. Flashback: Lake Forest advanced to the state meet after placing third (147.6) at last winter’s Stevenson Sectional in Lincolnshire. Eventual state champion Carmel (151.6) and the host school (148.925) finished 1-2. McKeon tied for seventh place in the all-around (37.4), and Carlson
took fourth on floor (9.525). 1/27/12 The rallying cry of Lake Forest High School’s girls gymnastics team this winter is “Dare to do it.” It says so, right on the front of the Scouts’ team T-shirts. “We’re small but mighty,” said LF coach Robin Straus, referring to the number of her regulars on varsity. “The saying,” she added, “is a reminder. In a sport such as this you have to challenge yourself.” Their challenge, at the North Suburban Conference Meet Jan. 27 at Ultimate Gymnastics in Gurnee: "Capture the Title." They did it. They shared it with Stevenson, which finished first at the meet (144.6 points) but had lost to LF in a dual in December. Straus’ club tallied 143.95 points and earned at least a piece of the conference championship for the first time since 1985. Or when “Back to the Future” hit movie theaters. “That was the goal,” a proud Straus said. “As well as get healthy. Right now it’s all about getting as ready as possible for the state series (regional, sectional and state meets). “We’re ready.” It showed at Ultimate, particularly on vault. LF amassed a program-record aggregate of 38.4, led by junior Kylie Carlson’s third-place 9.875 – now the top vault mark all-time at LFHS. The school’s previous top mark in the event had been shared by … Carlson. Scouts junior Kat McKeon took fifth (9.575) on vault, followed by sophomore teammate Brittany Moccia (sixth place, 9.55) and LF junior Carly Schmidt (13th, 9.4). Junior Christine Andersen (8.8) also competed on vault for LF. Carlson (37.175), Moccia (36.65) and McKeon (36.325) went 2-5-7 in the all-around. Schmidt (33.8) battled as an all-arounder as well. The team started on beam at the six-team gathering. “Our start was a little rough,” said McKeon. “But we pushed through … used frustration to our advantage.” None of the Scouts executed better than an 8.95 on beam. But two Scouts – Moccia (runner-up, 8.95) and Carlson (fourth place, 8.7) – took home beam medals. McKeon placed sixth (8.5). The Scouts’ other beam workers: Schmidt and freshman Laura Blake. “We talked things over after beam,” Moccia recounted. “It was then when we decided to cheer louder for each other.” Carlson finished fourth on the uneven bars (9.4), in front of McKeon (fifth, 9.3) and Moccia (sixth, 9.25). Schmidt and classmate Christine Andersen also gripped and flew in the event. Carlson paced LF’s floor shows, taking seventh place with a 9.2. McKeon (8.95) edged Moccia (8.9) for ninth place. Schmidt and Blake also bounced and danced and performed on floor. Most of LF’s varsity gymnasts had absolutely no problem adjusting to the environment at Ultimate. It is, after all, where they train as club members in the offseason. “They know the equipment,” Straus said. “That calmed me down.” Fine ‘9’: Only one gymnast, Libertyville’s Jenna Dunsing, performed a ‘9’ routine on beam at the conference meet. The champ hit for a 9.0. Take a bow I: Scouts senior Katie Meier was LF’s NSC Sportsmanship Award honoree. A gymnast from each school was recognized after the NSC Meet on Jan. 27. Take a bow II: Vernon Hills first-year coach Alison Gildemeister was named NSC coach of the year. Next: LF begins its quest to earn a third straight state-meet berth at its regional on Jan. 31. The regional’s other teams: Mundelein (third at the NSC Meet, with 141.1 points), CSL North Meet runner-up Glenbrook North and Glenbrook South. “Hit, hit, hit,” Carlson said of the Scouts’ game plan for a sectional team berth. “And have fun at the regional. You normally perform better when you’re having fun.” On the wall: Lake Forest’s state runner-up girls gymnastics team will be recognized at the school on Feb. 3, when the Scouts’ boys varsity basketball team entertains Warren. The 2010-11 team photo will grace a wall in the lobby area at the LFHS East campus. Former Scouts gymnasts and 2011 graduates Grace Kohlmaier (now at Mizzou) and Mel Foster (Oklahoma) plan to attend the ceremony. JV update: Lake Forest’s JV gymnastics squad, way back in its season opener at Libertyville on Nov. 30, scored only 21 points in the NSC dual. “We weren’t even close to having a full lineup then,” varsity coach Robin Straus recalled. LF fielded a full lineup on Jan. 26, for its season finale: the Prairie-Lake Invite at LFHS. The Scouts scored 77.425 points to finish fourth at the six-team meet, and they did it without one of their captains, junior Christine Andersen, who would perform varsity routines the next night at the NSC Meet in Gurnee. “I was really pleased with the growth of the JV team; it definitely improved, steadily and impressively, throughout the season,” Straus noted. “What they did (at the Prairie-Lake) … the best meet of their season, by far,” she added. Medals were awarded to the top-10 finishers in each event, plus the all-around. LF junior Lexi Lee executed a seventh-place 5.9 on beam, followed by senior Olivia Carr (eighth place, 5.65) and sophomore co-captain Brooke Riewer (ninth, 5.6). Freshmen Elizabeth Andersen and Meg Martin also competed for the Scouts on beam. Lee added an eighth-place effort on floor (7.4), and freshman teammate Tabitha Jeffers took 10th (7.35) in the event. Sophomore Genna Crofts spun a floor routine and added a skill for her uneven-bars routine. Jeffers (6.44 average) and Riewer (6.425) finished 11th-12th in the all-around. “Brooke,” Straus said, “improved tremendously (from last season to this season).” Riewer and Jeffers each added a glide kip on bars. Jeffers threw a fly-away bars dismount for the first time in a competition. Straus, on Carr and classmate Tessa Beeler, first-year gymnasts as seniors: “They’ll be missed, definitely. They had a great time this winter … loved competing and being a part of a team.” Beeler landed a 7.2 vault, only her second vault in 2011-12. Other Scouts vault marks: Riewer (8.1), Jeffers (7.925) and Martin (7.7). Martin also had competed on vault only one other time before the meet. 01/21/12 They weren’t just Scouts at the Niles West girls gymnastics invite on Saturday. They were Super Scouts. Lake Forest High School’s Scouts wore bright, gold/royal blue capes as they marched in for the “Super Heroes”-themed meet. “They looked like boxers, entering a ring,” said LF coach Robin Straus. “Our kids,” she added, “had certainly taken some punches this week.” They sure did, figuratively. Junior Carly Schmidt missed most of a dual meet (Jan. 18) with back spasms and sat out at NW; standout all-arounders Kat McKeon, Kylie Carlson and Brittany Moccia dealt with upper-body soreness, a headache and an injured ankle, respectively; and Scouts freshman Laura Blake suffered a hyper-extended elbow. “A rough week, a rough patch,” Straus noted. “Every season, every team has to endure a bump in the road. That’s where we are now.” Only four Scouts competed at NW. But Straus’ club finished a solid third (70.55 points; only two scores counted in each event). Prairie Ridge co-op (73) and Stevenson (72.95) took the top two spots. McKeon placed 2nd on the uneven-bars field (9.25), silvered on beam (9.3) and placed sixth on vault (9.225). “Kat had a great day, did a nice job for us,” Straus said. Carlson also collected a first-place medal, after spinning and dancing her way to a 9.325, a smidge ahead of Moccia’s third-place 9.3. Moccia also contributed an 8.775 (seventh place) on beam. LF junior Christine Andersen competed on vault (8.225) and bars (6.925). “I let the kids pick their events,” Straus said. Next: NSC regular-season champ Lake Forest (5-0) heads to Ultimate Gymnastics, a club in Gurnee, on Jan. 27 for the NSC Meet, beginning at 6 p.m. It’ll likely be a tight team battle, Straus said. “Five teams could win it,” she said. “We’re going to fight and try to be the team that has a huge night. “We’ll definitely make sure we’re all on the same page and know what it’s going to take. Yes, we’re banged up, shaken a bit. But it’s that time of year; a lot of teams are going through what we’re going through.” Flashback: LF finished runner-up at last year’s NSC Meet, scoring 146.925 point to champ Stevenson’s 149.5. McKeon, runner-up on beam (9.5), took third in the all-around (37.25). Moccia silvered on vault (9.55), and Carlson tied for second on bars (9.4). 01/18/12 Lake Forest 139.6 - Vernon Hills 133.45 The Scouts’ NSC dual record this winter: perfect, at 5-0. Their final conference dual, staged at Vernon Hills on Jan. 18: painful. Lake Forest coach Robin Straus needed Warrior-esque efforts from most of her injury/illness-riddled squad, and she got them – particularly from junior Carly Schmidt. Back spasms sidelined her for three events against the Cougars. But the team needed her to climb a balance beam and earn crucial points. She did just that, staying on and scoring an 8.1. LF freshman Laura Blake (elbow injury) also got up on the event and showed her valiant side. “Such team players, those two,” said Straus. “You look at what Carly did for us … She was the difference. “We almost gave away the meet.” Lake Forest junior Kylie Carlson won two events (floor, 9.6; vault, 9.6). But she wasn’t alone, as a winner, in both. Classmate Kat McKeon soared to a season-high 9.6 on vault, and sophomore teammate Brittany Moccia (team-best and runner-up 37.0 in the all-around) earned a season-high 9.6 on floor. Moccia (season-high 9.4), McKeon (9.0) and Carlson (8.7) finished 2-3-4 on beam. Other notable LF marks vs. VH: Carlson (36.7, all-around, third place; 8.8, bars, second); McKeon (35.9, all-around, fourth; 9.3, floor, fourth); and Moccia (9.5, vault, third-place tie). Moccia and McKeon, because of either injury or illness, watered down their bars routines. Moccia (8.5) took third in the event, and McKeon (8.0) was fifth. JV update: LF’s JVers fell 75.6-73.1 to host Vernon Hills on January 18. Scouts sophomore Brooke Riewer topped the all-around field with a season-high 25.8 and performed meet-best marks on floor (7.0) and vault (8.1). She also finished second on bars (4.5) and third on beam (6.2). “Brooke,” Straus said, “has accepted her role, and she shows such good leadership. She wants to do extra things. She’s been pushing herself harder.” Senior Tessa Beeler, a first-year prep gymnast, competed on vault for the first time this winter. She and freshman teammate Meg Martin each scored a 7.7 in the event. Beeler (6.9) and junior Lexi Lee (6.8) went 3-4 on floor; Scouts senior Olivia Carr (5.2), Martin (5.0), Lee and Beeler also executed beam routines; and scores from Lee and sophomore Genna Crofts counted on bars. Next: Lake Forest hosts the NSC JV Meet – aka the Prairie Lake Invite – Jan. 26 at 6 PM. 1/14/12 Miss Piggy knows fashion. One of her priceless beauty tips: “Never let your frog outdress you.” That, thankfully, played out at the Muppets-themed Lake County girls gymnastics invite at Lake Forest High School Jan. 14. Lake Forest’s Scouts – one of three teams in the invite’s Miss Piggy pool – donned curly blond wigs and pig-eared tiaras.
But the Kermit the Frog contingent (Stevenson, Barrington and Warren) captured the pool title at the nine-team gathering with a 425.225-point aggregate; Miss Piggy (LF, Deerfield and Mundelein) took runner-up honors (414.28), and the Fozzie Bear trio (Carmel, Vernon Hills, Libertyville) finished third (411.6). “There was so much camaraderie going on,” LF coach Robin Straus said of the battle for pool supremacy, a concurrent competition at the meet. “You need that; it takes some of the pressure off before conference and the state series.” she added. In the serious competition, two-time reigning state champion Carmel – no surprise – topped the field with a 151.05-point effort. Stevenson (146.2) took second, and LF placed third (145.83) for the second straight year. “I keep looking back at what our team did last year at big meets, compared to this year’s team,” said Straus, whose 2010-11 edition finished second at the state meet. “And we’re pretty much on pace seeing the same result each weekend.” Her top three all-arounders sparkled again atop the home mats Jan. 14. Junior Kylie Carlson placed third in the all-around (37.85), just ahead of classmate Kat McKeon (fifth, 36.975) and sophomore Brittany Moccia (eighth, 36.55). “Kylie,” Straus said, “had a nice meet. Her one fall on beam … so close; she was so close to staying on.” Carlson placed sixth in the event (9.2), and Moccia had a fall-free 9.1 (eighth place). McKeon’s impressive streak of stuck beam routines ended at six (8.8, 14th place). “She’ll just start another streak,” Straus said. LF freshman Laura Blake (season-high 31.825 in the all-around) performed a routine (7.65, beam) that contributed toward the team score. The team reached 38-plus points on vault for the third time in 2011-12, led by Carlson’s fourth-place 9.65. McKeon’s season-high 9.525 was powerful enough for seventh. Moccia and LF junior Carly Schmidt each flew for a 9.45 (10th). McKeon swung to a team-high 9.45 (fourth) on the uneven bars, followed by Carlson (fifth, 9.4), Moccia (8.6) and Schmidt (8.45). The top Scout on floor was Carlson (9.6, third place), while Moccia was 6th (9.4). McKeon took 11th (9.2), and Schmidt spun for an 8.9. Blake tumbled and danced her way to a season-high 8.325. “We want to be a consistent 146 (-point) team,” Straus said, adding her Scouts have been, essentially, a 145-point team this year. “It’ll take baby steps to become that. “We’ll get there.” They arrived in Gurnee on Jan. 16 for a practice at Ultimate Gymnastics, site of the North Suburban Conference Meet on Jan. 27. On the bus ride, Scouts looked ahead – and got serious. “I liked the discussions I heard,” said Straus, also the team’s bus driver. “They’re figuring out what it will take to add as many tenths (of a point) as possible.” Among the topics she heard: stick more vault landings; regroup after events; tune everything else out at meets and don’t be so social; cut down on beam falls; stay inbounds on floor; no drama during warm-up sessions; get more endurance, make upgrades where needed. Straus’ favorite line, uttered by one of her gymnasts: “It’s easier to stay on beam than it is to fall, get back up on beam and settle down again.” Next: LF’s varsity and JV crews visit Vernon Hills on Jan. 18 (6 p.m.) for their final North Suburban Conference dual. The varsity heads to Niles West Saturday for an invite, beginning at 1 p.m. The invite’s theme: “Superheroes.” JV update: Lake Forest’s shorthanded JV squad placed ninth (77.9 points) at the 12-team Stevenson Invite Jan. 13. The Scouts, minus three regulars, scored their second-best total of the winter. “Very impressive,” Scouts varsity coach Robin Straus noted. LF junior Christine Andersen collected the team’s lone medal, landing a third-place 8.45 on vault. Sophomore teammate Brooke Riewer, LF’s lone all-arounder, (24.0) threw a half-on-half-off vault (7.45) for the first time this winter. Freshman Meg Martin and sophomore Genna Crofts, a first-year gymnast, also executed a new routine at the meet. Martin notched a 7.175 handspring vault, and Crofts contributed a 6.7 on floor. Andersen (7.25) also paced LF on bars; Riewer, Crofts and junior Lexi Lee each went 5.0. Lee led the Scouts on beam (6.675) and floor (7.1). LF freshman Lizzie Andersen also competed at Stevenson on beam contributing a 5.0. 01/07/12 Worthy of a top-five medal. At the Lake Forest Invite on Jan. 7, the 15th-place vault score was a … 9.425. “That’s how loaded the vault field was,” said LFHS coach Robin Straus. An astounding 25 gymnasts, including four LF Scouts, scored a 9.0 or higher on the event. The LF four: junior Kylie Carlson (9.7, 7th place), sophomore Brittany Moccia (9.5, 12th), junior Carly Schmidt (season-best 9.45, 14th) and junior Kat McKeon (9.3, 20th). LF junior Christine Andersen hit an 8.5 before an SRO audience. “It was a high-quality meet, with a lot of energy in the gym,” Straus added. “There was a good vibe going the whole night.” Carmel’s Corsairs? Way too good. The two-time reigning state champs scored a highly impressive 153.725 points to easily capture the 12-team title. Prairie Ridge co-op (146.225) finished runner-up, ahead of Lake Forest (145.1, 3rd) and Lyons Township (140.55, 4th). “Carmel looked … good, so good,” said Straus. “Overall,” she added, “I was very pleased with our kids’ performances. The kids came to compete, and they did that. They kept their energy up, regrouped well after each event.” McKeon, one of the state’s steadiest gymnasts, placed fifth in the all-around (37.475), three spots ahead of Carlson (36.95). Moccia finished 11th (35.975). McKeon stood out on the beam, taking third with a superb 9.625. The mark now ranks No. 4 all-time in program history. She also took sixth on bars (team-best 9.35) and 12th on floor (9.2). Carlson earned a fifth-place 9.5 on floor after hitting all three passes. “Beautiful … her tumbling was beautiful,” Straus said. Carlson also placed eighth on bars (9.25), matching Moccia’s place on floor (9.375). Moccia upgraded her third tumbling pass for the invite. Schmidt contributed an 8.8 on floor and an 8.35 on bars, and LF
freshman Laura Blake stuck her beam routine (8.1). Quote-worthy: “So many (gymnasts) were wearing pink; as a coach, you couldn’t tell where your kids were in the gym.” – Straus, on the predominant color at the Lake Forest Invite, also a breast cancer awareness event. Flashback: Prairie Ridge co-op topped heavily favored Carmel to win last year’s LF Invite. 01/04/12 Lake Forest 145.25 - Warren 137.35 Three days after the start of a new year, Lake Forest’s girls gymnastics team celebrated the careers of old Scouts. Relatively old, that is. LF beat Warren on its senior night, improving to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the North Suburban Conference. Seniors Katie Meier, Olivia Carr and Tessa Beeler were recognized before the meet and feted afterward. “A nice meet for us, coming off the (holiday) break,” said LF coach Robin Straus. “The energy, though, was not quite at the level I wanted it to be.” But the 4-0 NSC mark meant LF was one step closer to capturing the 2011-12 NSC regular-season title. “That,” Straus said, “is exciting.” LF visits Vernon Hills Jan. 18 for its NSC finale. Against Warren on Jan. 4, LF juniors Kat McKeon (37.7) and Kylie Carlson (36.96) and sophomore Brittany Moccia (36.05) went 1-2-3 in the all-around. Carlson also topped the vault (9.8) and floor (9.6) fields, while McKeon performed a first-place 9.6 on bars and took second on beam (9.35). Moccia threw a personal-best and runner-up 9.3 on bars, besting her previous personal-best mark in the event by 0.1. Scouts junior Carly Schmidt, competing as an all-arounder for the first time in the 2011-12 season, placed third on vault (9.4) and tied Moccia for sixth place on beam (8.25). Other notable efforts from Straus’ crew against the Blue Devils: Moccia (2nd place, vault, 9.6; 4th, floor, 8.9); McKeon (2nd, floor, 9.4; 5th, vault, 9.35); Carlson (3rd, bars, 9.0; 4th, beam, 8.55); and freshman Laura Blake (vault, 8.55). Pick to ‘click’: Straus named Meier team photographer earlier this month. Meier, the beam champ at last year’s LF Invite, underwent season-ending hip surgery on Dec. 14. “She’s recovering nicely,” Straus said. JV update: Lake Forest fell 82.65-69.1 to visiting Warren on Jan. 4. Junior Christine Andersen paced the Scouts, finishing first on beam (7.35), tying for first place on vault (8.55) and taking runner-up honors on bars (6.3). LF senior Olivia Carr executed a second-place 6.7 on bars, and classmate Tessa Beeler took third on floor (7.6). Scouts sophomore Brooke Riewer placed fifth in the all-around (21.7). Next: Lake Forest hosts the nine-team Lake County Invite on Jan. 14, beginning at noon. The meet’s theme: “Flips for the Muppets.” The names of the three three-team pools (plus T-shirt color), in the invite’s concurrent competition: Miss Piggy (pink), Kermit the Frog (green) and Fozzie Bear (gold). LF, Deerfield and Mundelein will battle as Miss Piggy squads. December 16, 2011 Instead of the Lake Forest Holiday Quad. “It was a long week, and it showed in the meet,” LF coach Robin Straus said of her Scouts’ victorious 142.65-point total. “We were a little off.” But LF sophomore Brittany Moccia was on, really on, as a vaulter. Her personal-best 9.7 topped the event. Moccia finished runner-up in the all-around (36.45), behind junior teammate Kat McKeon (36.75) and ahead of Scouts junior Kyle Carlson (36.4). McKeon had a typical McKeon meet: 4-for-4. “Steady, as usual, thank goodness” Straus noted. December 13, 2011 Lake Forest 147.25, Mundelein 141.05 The top three all-arounders in Lake Forest High School girls gymnastics history did their thing last week in a North Suburban Conference dual with visiting Mundelein. Their thing: earn fine 9s. Galore. Juniors Kyle Carlson (9.5875 average) and Kat McKeon (9.425) went 1-2 in the all-around, and Scouts sophomore Brittany Moccia took third (9.3) in LF’s impressive 147.25-141.05 defeat of Mundelein. Carlson’s and McKeon’s efforts now rank 1-2 in program history; Moccia owns the third-best all-around average (9.413), achieved last winter. “When that happens,” LF coach Robin Straus said, “you know you had a meet.” Quite a meet. “That was the best our kids, all of them, looked this year,” she added. Carlson and Moccia rocked on vault, going 9.75 (first place) and 9.6 (second), respectively. McKeon broke her school record on bars, performing a 9.65 routine – 0.5 better than the previous mark. Carlson took third in the event (season-best 9.45), ahead of Moccia (9.25). The team along with Carly Schmidt (8.3) broke the school event record with a total of 36.65 Carlson nailed her routine on the balance beam (9.7, first place). Straus also received 9s from McKeon (9.25) and Moccia (9.0). On floor exercise, Carlson (9.45) edged McKeon (season-best 9.4) for second place; Moccia took fourth (9.35). “I was a little nervous before the meet,” Straus recalled. “Mundelein had scored a 141, and it was our first meet without Katie (Meier, a senior beam specialist who would undergo season-ending hip surgery the next day).” LF junior Carly Schmidt contributed scores of 9.2 (vault), 8.3 (bars) and 9.1 (floor), and freshman Laura Blake scored an 8.6 on vault. Next: LF’s varsity hosts Warren at 6 p.m. Jan. 4. It will be senior night. JV news: Lake Forest freshman Laura Blake and a contingent of JVers finished ninth (50.1) at the Star is Born Invite at Niles West Dec. 15. Only two scores counted per event. Blake (3rd place, floor, 7.75) and classmate Tabby Jeffers (9th, vault, 8.0) earned medals. Tess Beeler, Brooke Riewer, Lexi Lee and Olivia Carr also competed for LF. In a tri-meet on the home mats Friday night, with Deerfield and Carmel, Jeffers competed as an all-arounder for the first time this winter, while Riewer scored a season-high 6.4 on beam. Next: LF’s JV also faces visiting Warren on Jan. 4. 12/10/11-- Conant Meet at Schaumburg Katie Meier, while smiling, sported moist eyes after Saturday’s Conant girls gymnastics invite at Schaumburg. The Lake Forest High School senior captain was part happy, part sad. Happy because her team had finished second (110.85) to Carmel (113.825). Sad because it was the last meet of her steady career. Meier will undergo season-ending hip surgery on Dec. 14. She had first injured her left-hip labrum as an eighth-grader. “We’re going to change her job description,” LF coach Robin Straus cracked. “She’ll be, from now on, part assistant coach and our team psychiatrist.” She’ll also likely be a fixture on a stationary bike – at Scouts practices. “We’ll need her after her surgery,” Straus said. “I’ve been told (pedaling) a bike will be a big part of her rehab. I want her to watch our girls’ beam routines at practices, and help to critique them, while she’s on that bike.” Meier hit her final beam routine (8.3) at Schaumburg. In the “hit” department on beam in 2011, she went 4-for-5. “I’m going to cry,” LF sophomore Brittany Moccia said after finishing fifth in the all-around (36.5). “Katie is like a sister to me, and she’s my BFF.” LF junior Kat McKeon took third in the all-around (37.2) on Saturday, right in front of classmate Kylie Carlson (4th, 37.0). “Katie,” McKeon said, “is so supportive. And a great person, in general. But she’s not going anywhere; she’ll still be a part of this team.” Meier, Straus figured, hit more beam routines in the last three-plus varsity seasons than any other Scout did. “It’ll be tough, competing without her,” she said. “But I’ve been very pleased with all of our girls’ poise and confidence and the way they’ve sold and hit their routines. “Our number of falls,” she added, “has gone down steadily each meet.” Carlson found herself up – way up – in the floor-exercise standings at Saturday’s 11-team invite. Her season-best 9.75 floor show was sharp enough for a silver medal. Her career-best in the event, 9.8, happened to be Saturday’s winning mark, executed by all-around champ Lauren Feely of Carmel. “When you watch Kylie on floor,” Moccia said, “you can tell she enjoys what she’s doing.” Moccia placed sixth on floor (9.45), ahead of McKeon (7th, 9.325) and LF junior Carly Schmidt (11th, 9.225). Schmidt’s score was her first “9” on floor this winter. “I can’t say enough good things about Carly,” Straus said, noting Schmidt, a standout pole vaulter, came out for gymnastics last month after a three-year break from the sport. “Her contributions to our team have been so valuable.” On vault, McKeon (9.375), Schmidt (9.35) and Carlson (9.3) went 6-7-8. Moccia tied for ninth place with a 9.2. On the uneven bars, McKeon performed a fourth-place 9.45. “Beautiful … that was beautiful,” said Moccia, who placed eighth in the event (8.9), three spot behind Carlson (9.15). McKeon scored a team-best and fifth-place 9.05 on beam. “It was exciting,” Carlson said of the meet. “I was excited for our team.” LF finished runner-up to reigning state champ Carmel at an invite for the second straight weekend. The Corsairs won the Rolling Meadows Invite at Hersey on Dec. 3. “That’s OK,” Carlson said. “We like competing
against Carmel; Carmel’s girls push us.” 12/7/11 The difference in the big victory was a scant 0.1. But it meant the world to everybody involved in the program. “It was a thrill, and I’m so glad Katie (Meier) got to compete in it (before season-ending hip surgery Dec. 14),” Straus said. LF junior Kylie Carlson was a force – as a performer and as a leader. She won the all-around (37.85) and two events (vault, floor exercise). It didn’t take very long, for Straus, to notice Carlson’s determination. “Before the meet,” she said, “Kylie was so motivated to do well. Her attitude was, ‘Today’s our day; let’s do this.’ ” The Scouts dominated on vault against the Patriots, throwing four of the meet’s top five scores: Carlson (1st place, 9.8), Kat McKeon (2nd-place tie 9.5), Brittany Moccia (9.5) and Carly Schmidt (5th, 9.3). Carlson also topped the floor field (9.65) and tied McKeon for runner-up honors on beam (9.1s); McKeon took second in the all-around (37.15), Moccia fifth (35.3); McKeon tied for first place on bars (9.4), ahead of Carlson (3rd, season-best 9.3) and Moccia (6th, 8.6); and Meier earned a 9.0 on beam (6th place). “Stevenson is still going to be there,” Straus said of the Pats’ likely success at the big meets in January and February. “Stevenson has an outstanding team … a team that’s deeper than our team.” JV update: LF finished third (82.05) at the six-team Libertyville JV Invite Dec. 9. Scouts junior Christine Andersen took first place on vault (9.2), and LF freshman Laura Blake placed runner-up in the all-around (31.2) and on beam (8.05). Blake (7.25) and Andersen (6.95) went 3-4 on bars; Blake also landed a fourth-place 8.9 on vault. Straus praised seniors and first-year prep gymnasts Tessa Buehler and Olivia Carr afterward. “Their poise has been terrific, as has their leadership,” she said. Lexi Lee, a junior JVer, has a background in ice skating. Her efforts, on beam; Cool. “Lexi’s jumps are big, and she’s such a pretty dancer,” Straus noted. We are looking forward to her upcoming floor routine after x-mas break. 12/3/11 A new floor is being installed at RM’s gym. The top two schools, in Saturday’s team standings, vs. the top two schools at last year’s IHSA state meet? That didn’t change. Lake Forest High School’s Scouts finished a sturdy runner-up (68.325 points) to two-time reigning state champion Carmel Catholic (71.85). Stevenson placed third (67.975). “I was hoping for a top-four finish,” said Scouts' coach Robin Straus. Three Scouts bowed for a top-5 medal at Saturday’s 19-team gathering. Junior Kat McKeon topped the uneven-bars field with a 9.45; classmate Kylie Carlson placed fourth on floor exercise (9.05); and senior Katie Meier took fifth on the balance beam (9.15). The meet’s format was unique: Only two gymnasts from each school competed in each event, and each gymnast performed only one routine. “The girls looked polished,” Straus said. “Solid routines, and they didn’t get flustered.” LF junior Carly Schmidt swung to a ninth-place 8.575 on bars; classmate Christine Andersen tied for 10th place on vault (8.4); and Scouts sophomore Brittany Moccia finished 14th on beam (8.3). Freshman Laura Blake contributed a 7.9 on floor, while sophomore Brooke Riewer scored a 7.5 on vault. Bar(s) one: The combined bars scores (18.025) of McKeon and Schmidt was a meet-best mark on Saturday. Carmel’s bars entrants ranked second (17.95). Hip to be repaired: Meier, the team’s lone senior and a member of LF’s state team the past two seasons, will undergo season-ending hip surgery Dec. 14. Her left hip labrum – it’s torn – has been bothering her since eighth grade. Meier opted to have the procedure this month because of the lengthy recovery period. Looking ahead: The Scouts host Stevenson’s Patriots Dec. 7 at 6 p.m., and compete Dec. 10 at the Conant Invite beginning at noon. The invite will be staged at Schaumburg HS. JV will compete in the Libertyville JV invite Friday night Dec. 6 at 5:30 pm. 11/30/11 Carlson and McKeon tied for first place on bars (9.1). Carlson (9.5), Moccia (9.3) and McKeon (9.25) went 1-2-3 on floor. And Katie Meier, toughness personified, executed a first-place 9.2 on beam. JV: Christine Andersen, a standout diver, and Brooke Riewer are LF’s top JVers. Olivia Carr and Tessa Buehler are seniors – and first-year LFHS gymnasts. The rest of the JV squad, junior Alexandra Lee, sophomore Genna Crofts and freshmen Elizabeth Andersen, Tabitha Jeffers and Meg Martin. “It’s a very young, inexperienced group,” Straus said. “They’re working hard on their skills.” Routines will follow soon.
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Girls'
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Robin Straus, Head Coach Varsity
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