All-Around Great Opportunity For High School Gymnasts

By Andy Hutchison

It truly is a great all around opportunity for Newtown High School’s gymnasts. The team’s half-dozen competitors, all of who are all-around gymnasts — in other words, they compete in each of the events: bars, floor, beam, and vault — have a chance to compete as part of a high school team for the first time.

In past years, girls at Newtown High have had the opportunity to practice gymnastics routines and compete — but only as individuals, with no true blue and gold team atmosphere. Now that the team has been approved, with the team members/families contributing $1,200 apiece to fund the program, these hardworking competitors will see their scores at meets count toward team results.

The high school’s new program began practice this month, and competitions will get underway in early January. Six girls — junior Leah Wallace; sophomores Elisha Wilson, Meagan Foy, Jenny Indelicato, and Kaitlyn Tumney; along with freshman Anna Jannott — comprise a small squad of athletes who will represent Newtown High this winter.

“It’s a great opportunity because we’ve been trying for a long time to have a team,” said Wallace, adding that each of the Nighthawks have competed on club teams and look forward to the chance to join forces and compete against other high school squads.

The gymnasts practice in Oxford, at Kinetic Kids, under the direction of Oxford Coach Jenna Rettstadt. Newtown’s team members also practice along side gymnasts from Pomperaug of Southbury, Nonnewaug High in Woodbury and, of course, Oxford. They will travel to meets along with the Oxford athletes throughout the winter.

“It’s nice to get to try a new gym and have new coaches and meet new people,” Wilson pointed out.

“I think it’s great that we can all come together and be a team,” said Foy, nothing that the first-year program paves the way for up and coming gymnasts who will be able to compete as part of a school squad throughout each of their four years at NHS.

Jannott, who is the lone team member fortunate enough to be able to be a part of a school team right from the start of her high school career, notes that there are some rule differences between club and high school gymnastics that the girls are having to adapt to as they gear up for the start of competitions.

Rettstadt explains that there are variations in requirements in each routine between club and school gymnastics.

“I’m really excited about it. It’s just a different atmosphere,” said Indelicato, comparing the two.

Rettstadt has had quite a change this year; in addition to taking on the Newtown athletes, her Oxford team doubled in size, giving her more than three times as many student athletes this winter. “I’m definitely excited,” she said of coaching the Nighthawks. “They’re a very good bunch of girls and they have a lot of enthusiasm.”

The Nighthawks will have their first meet on January 3 when they visit New Milford.