By Anna Shaw
Tuscarora’s gymnastics team competed at Loudoun Valley against Park View, Briar Woods, John Champe, Freedom, and Valley in its first meet of the season on Thursday, Dec. 5th. The team placed second out of the six teams competing with a score of 132.15. Freedom won with a score of 135.9.
Junior Shannon Keye and freshman Julia Thoppil placed not only in their individual categories but in all-around; Keye earned 4th and Thoppil earned 2nd.
Tuscarora scored well in all four of the individual events (bars, vault, balance beam, and floor). Three gymnasts placed in bars: Thoppil placed 1st, sophomore Alex Upp placed 3rd, and freshman Colleen Haines placed 5th. In vault, Keye placed 5th and Thoppil placed 2nd, while in floor Keye brought in a 3rd place finish.
The team’s assistant coach, Mrs. Meg Upp, said that she was “proud of how the freshmen and the first-time performers did in the competition.”
Thoppil, sophomore Ciara Reed, and Haines are the team’s newest additions.
Upp also said she was glad that “more girls placed all-around than normal” and that she was “pleasantly surprised to have so many athletes place that high in everything.”
The team normally only has a few placing in the individual events, but this year almost half of the girls placed in their respective events.
The team finished with a score of 132.15, the highest team score in Tuscarora’s school history. This score is the highest by almost 3 points, overshooting the team’s 128.4 score last January against County, Broad Run, Woodgrove, and John Champe.
