By Tara Higgins and Jess Ameter
If you were to stop and ask someone in the halls what they think of Legend’s gymnastics team, the answer would probably be something like this: We have a gymnastics team?
Well, the answer is yes. In fact, four girls from Legend are currently members of the gymnastics team that is hosted at Ponderosa High School and recently placed 10th at the 5A State meet. Five Douglas County Schools currently have contributing members.
Freshmen Taylor Kubly and Kendall Moede, junior McKenna Moede, and senior Addison Babineau join students from Douglas County, Chaparral, Castle View, and Ponderosa High Schools on the team. Despite all of their hard work, the team often goes unrecognized.
“I feel like we don’t get recognized as much as some of the other sports, but I understand because it is hard when we are part of another high school,” said McKenna Moede. “Ponderosa receives more support because it is at their school.”
The team practices Monday through Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m., and sometimes on Fridays. Because the girls are all close friends, there is no problem getting to practices. McKenna Moede drives her sister Kendall and their teammate Kubly to practice every day.
The girls have mixed feelings as to whether their sport affects their social life. Kubly says it doesn’t, while McKenna believes that there can be cliques that result from all of the different schools involved “when people make friends with the girls from their own school,” said McKenna.
Despite all of this, the team remains very much a “family,” according to Kubly. “Our team is perfect,” she said. “We all treat each other with respect.”
The team pulled together recently, competing in the state meet at Thorton High School on Nov. 1. Only Kubly and McKenna from Legend competed, with McKenna competing in the all-around event and Kubly on vault. During the meet, the team increased their standing by two places.
“We all support each other which helps so much and it feels great to have that support,” says Kubly. According to Kubly, she might even consider competing in higher competitions if given the chance. “Gymnastics is everything to me and it would be an honor to compete in [the Olympics or] those types of meets.”
Although the last competition of the season was the state meet at Thorton, the girls are by no means through with gymnastics for the year.
“I am working on a back tuck on the beam, front handspring, front full on floor, and giants on bars,” McKenna said. Although McKenna does not wish to pursue a future in gymnastics, she is still very dedicated to her team.
The gymnastics team at Legend may, for the most part, go unnoticed, but the girls on the team work just as hard and invest just as much time as members of any other sport. It’s an involved sport, one of the most dangerous, and one of the hardest, but all of the members hope to encourage other gymnasts to carry on.
“Be the best you can be and leave it all on the mat,” McKenna said.
Kubly agreed: “[Just] have confidence in yourself and don’t ever give up!”
