After nearly a decade, the gymnastics team experienced a remarkable comeback as a record number of students sign up for tryouts

The Potomac Falls gymnastics team hasn’t had a team of over five gymnasts in the past seven years. However, this year, 19 girls signed up to try out for the team, with 14  girls making the team.

Since 2016, gymnastics head coach Misty Keller hasn’t seen a turnout like this year’s with more than a dozen girls from all different grades showing up for a spot on the team. “I am really excited about our bigger turnout for the gymnastics team this year and to work with the girls who are at all different levels of gymnastics skills and abilities and help them set goals,” said Keller. 

In the past years, there have only been a handful of girls trying out. The low turn out, Keller thought, could be due to the sport not being well-advertised and other factors like injuries. This school year, Keller began recruiting girls in her freshman PE class to find new, young gymnasts who could potentially grow with the team. “We made it a focus during our ninth grade PE classes to let all the students know that there are multiple options at Potomac Falls regarding athletics. We held an interesting meeting after school and advertised the team on Feature Friday, so that really helped the gymnastics team to encourage more girls to try out,” said Keller.

Due to the small size of prior teams, competitions were hard for the gymnasts. Team scores were never high enough and the team fell behind with the amount of competitors. “In my freshman year, there were only six girls on the team, but not everyone had gymnastics experience, so it was hard competing with the other teams since most of them had over 10 gymnasts and had girls competing in every event,” said senior Mady Stephens.

However, because the coaches and returning gymnasts are now reaching out to girls with interest, the gymnastics team has a real shot this year, with two seniors, three juniors, three sophomores, and six freshmen competing and representing Potomac Falls. 

“I was so surprised and shocked when I saw how many girls showed up to tryouts. In my freshman year, there were only four girls that showed up, so seeing the change from last season to this season has really motivated me and my other teammates for this upcoming season,” said sophomore Fay Alathari.

The team’s first competition is Dec. 4 at Dominion High School where five gymnasts will compete in each event. “We actually have girls to compete on each event this year as well as new teammates who are willing to try different events like vault, beam, and bars,” said senior Mady Stephens.