Up in the gymnastics room, head coach Chris Stanicek works tirelessly to prepare the girls gymnastics team for upcoming competitions. Bearing the loss of juniors Anneli Kawaoka and Erika Climo, Stanicek looks to his returning senior varsity squad to help lead the team. The Naperville North girls gymnastics team started their season last Monday.

“Well, we’ve got a lot of work to do this year,” Stanicek said. “We’re a couple gymnasts short, but we have returning to the team Michaela Robert, who is a senior, and Shelby Porter, who is a senior, and they’re really two strong leaders. I think the girls who are going to be on varsity need to look to them for their leadership, what to do and how to act if needed.”

Last year, the gymnastics team said goodbye to a number of seniors, including key athletes like Stephanie Mueller and captain Allie Pecorin. Now, with the loss of two more talented gymnasts, the team is working even harder to strengthen their routines.

But there is still a dedicated core of gymnasts on the team, improving their individual skill sets and strengthening team bonds. This family aspect is something senior captain Michaela Robert is going to miss at the end of the season.

“I just love the team atmosphere,” Roberts said. “By the end of the season, we are basically a family. We just grow so much together, and everyone gets along so well, and I just love it. I’m really going to miss everyone once the season is over.”

With the first meet looming, Stanicek believes preparation is vital. His hopes are that the team will have prepared for competitive performance by the end of the regular season and hopes to lay the groundwork for success in seasons to come.

“This is going to be a year where we’ve got to work hard,” Stanicek said. “We’ve got to push ourselves, and it’s going to be a rebuilding year for us. We’ll have to see how the season unfolds, and hopefully by the time conference rolls around, we’ll have added enough skills to our sets to be competitive.”