NW Indiana Girls Gymnastics - IHSAA State Championships

CP's Buchholz brings home Mental Attitude Award from 2007 Girls Gymnastics State Championships

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
03-19-2007

35th Annual IHSAA Gymnastics State Finals
March 17, 2007 at Perry Meridian High School, Indianapolis

Final Team Scores
1. Lawrence Central 111.000
2. (FW) Bishop Dwenger 110.425
3. Center Grove 110.200
4. Chesterton 109.625
5. Carmel 109.425
6. Valparaiso 109.250
7. Columbus North 108.950
8. (FW) Concordia Lutheran 108.500

Vault -- Katelyn Fernandes (Center Grove) 9.7
Nicki Briere (Carmel) 9.7
Kristin Gilley (Connersville) 9.7
Camille Hayes (Lawrence Central) 9.575
Hannah Osborn (Concordia) 9.575
Cassie Funcheon (Columbus North) 9.575

Bars -- Brannon Springer (Concordia) 9.675
Jessie Leko (Lawrence Central) 9.6
Alicia Roche (Bishop Dwenger) 9.475
Callie Kuehl (Chesterton) 9.45
Amber Weber (Columbus East) 9.45
Cassie Funcheon (Columbus North) 9.45

Beam -- Jeanna Van Hoey (Bishop Dwenger) 9.7
Caitlin Sullivan (Elkhart Central) 9.65
Katelyn Fernandes (Center Grove) 9.45
Megan Roller (Center Grove) 9.4
Jessie Leko (Lawrence Central) 9.375
Victoria Johnson (Plainfield) 9.325

Floor -- Hannah Osborn (Concordia) 9.725
Katelyn Fernandes (Center Grove) 9.7
Megan Roller (Center Grove) 9.625
Kelley Freeman (Chesterton) 9.625
Camille Hayes (Lawrence Central) 9.55
Brannon Springer (Concordia) 9.525
Alicia Roche (Bishop Dwenger) 9.50
Trisha Eberly (CROWN POINT) 9.50
Katelyn Skinner (Valpo) 9.5
Adrienne Cristofoli (Center Grove) 9.475

Top individuals: All-around -- Katelyn Fernandes (Center Grove) 38.125
2. Jeanna Van Hoey (Bishop Dwenger) 37.70
3. Kristin Gilley (Connersville) 37.325
4. Jessie Leko (Lawrence Central) 37.30
5. Alicia Roche (Bishop Dwenger) 37.25
6. Hannah Osborn (Concordia) 37.175
7. Brannon Springer (Concordia) 37.00
8. Cassie Funcheon (Columbus North) 37.00
9. Camile Hayes (Lawrence Central) 36.90
10. Katelyn Skinner (Valparaiso) 36.675

18. Martina Buchholz (CP) 8.975 (vault) 8.775 (bars) 9.15 (beam) 9.0 (floor) 35.90
24. Trisha Eberly (CP) 8.85 (vault) 8.125 (bars) 8.7 (beam) 9.5 (floor) 35.175
26. Alyssa Coker (CP) 8.95 (vault) 8.225 (bars) 8.85 (beam) 8.925 (floor) 34.95

INDIANAPOLIS (3-17-2007) The surprising thing about Crown Point's gymnastics postseason is that they got a little something at every stop. At the sectional CP was third, but they qualified for the regional. At the regional, CP was third, failing to qualify for the finals as a team. But they qualified their top three gymnasts in the all-around competition, in effect, qualifying a complete team for the finals.

Then, at last Saturday's state finals, CP had a bad day, or at least a day that was not competitive at the state level. The Bulldogs had a combined team score (they were not eligible to win the title) was 106.025, somewhat less than eighth place Concordia (108.500), the last of the eight qualifying complete teams. But there was again that consolation prize. Senior Martina Buchholz, minutes after falling early in her final performance, was named the state's Mental Attitude Award winner, citing her as an exemplary student athlete.

"It makes up for finishing the way we did," said coach Ami Pysh. "It means a lot for our area. This is just our second time down here as a team, so Martina is the first Mental Attitude Award winner from Crown Point."

Buchholz, who placed 19th all-around, the best of CP's three participants, had a fall on the floor exercise, or she would have scored a 9.5. But a 9.5 would not have won a medal. CP's three-girl total of 106.025 is a competitive total in most meets. But not in the finals in front of a crowd of about 1,500 in the smallish Perry Meridian gym where first time champion Lawrence Central racked up 111.000 and Center Grove's Katelyn Fernandes (38.125) scored a 9.7 on two different events.

"I know what happened," Martina said of her floor tumble. "You are a product of how you practice and I fell on that pass (running tumble move) in practice all week. That's what happened today. None of us did that well today. But this (the award) is a great honor. I've been captain for two years and last year was a learning experience. I wanted to be a better leader this year."

Pysh commented, "It makes up for us finishing where we did. This is big for us. Martina's always been positive. She's always been a team leader."

It wasn't a great day overall for anyone from the northwest part of the state. Two-time defending champ Bishop Dwenger (110.425) barely beat out Center Grove (110.425) for second place leaving Duneland Athletic Conference champ Chesterton, undefeated in dual meets all year, in fourth place overall, although they were less than a point and a half out of first.

Chesterton, which came off a score of 113.2 at the regional, seemed a bit unhappy with the judging and the 109.625 results. They did not visibly have a lot of flaws. Crown Point began with a 26.775 on the vault, but they scored just 25.225 on the bars. Eberly scored just an 8.125 on the bars and Coker was only 8.225.

"I messed up the routine," Eberly said later. "I didn't do what I was supposed to do."

The Bulldogs rallied for a 26.650 on beam, which had been a difficult event for them this season. But Buchholz and Eberly both fell on their second 'pass' on their floor routine, preventing CP from coming anywhere near the eight qualifying teams.

"It wasn't exactly what we wanted," Pysh said. "But you know what, they did well, compared to what past teams did. We haven't fallen on beam in three straight weeks. The judging is always lower down here. We had no wobbles and no falls, but I guess the judges didn't like the routines. It took a lot of execution. The beam scores... I just don't know. But you can't blame it on the judges."

"On the floor, except for the two falls, I thought the routines were very beautiful. All three of them could have been in the 9.5, 9.6 range. They both fell on their middle pass," Pysh said. "Alyssa was definitely an excitement thing. That's an uncharacteristic error for her. Martina, definitely, was leaning forward."

The aspect of Eberly and Coker being in their first ever state finals meet was a factor.

"You can be lucky your first time here," Pysh said. "You can be oblivious to it. Or you can overanalyze it. I don't know. It's whether it's your day or not."

From an IHSAA standpoint, they don't care who wins, so it was Martina Buchholz' day. The CP senior gets a $1,000 scholarship check to the school of her choice.

"It helps a lot to get the scholarship," Martina said. "My parents and family have put a lot of time and money into my gymnastics. At least we're getting a little something. So, I'm so happy. I'll probably be working to pay for my scholarship, but I'm glad to get this help."

Eberly understood that if she hadn't fallen on the floor, that she'd have had a medal. But she also understood the 8.1 on the bars.

"I messed up," Trisha said. "That part wasn't even in my routine. Plus I hurt my toe. When you make a mistake early, I don't know what you do. On the bars, sometimes you can work out of it. In your head, you just try to make the rest of it impressive. Or you just pretty much say, 'this sucks'."

Assistant coach Karyn Parson said that the big stage may have had something to do with the falls on the floor, which is basically a dance performance.

"You get so much adrenaline going, it's hard down here mentally. We obviously didn't have the day on the floor that we wanted to."

But since CP could not officially score in the finals as a team and this was the final meet of the season, the three CP girls got the feeling of being in the team finals, even though they weren't. And individually, they largely totaled the same score all-around. Coker, the transfer from Hobart last summer, didn't say she was more nervous at the state finals than she was at the regional.

"No," she said. "I thought it was fun here. I thought this was possible when I came here. I was determined to make it to state."

"Karyn and I are just happy to be here," said Pysh, who thought that since three all-arounders qualified at the regional that her whole team should have qualified. In team gymnastics meets, four team members perform and the top three scores count. Since CP only had three at the finals, all scores counted. For the eight qualifying teams, the low score in each event was thrown out. It would have been an upset for CP to outpoint any of the eight qualifying teams without that fourth performer.

"We could have done better if we'd have had a fourth (four perform to produce three scores), but I don't think we broke down," Pysh said. "We just made some mistakes."

Buchholz added, "I think Alyssa and Trisha will come back down here next year and do better. They're been prepped now."

STATE FINALS NOTES: It's tricky to even state how close Crown Point sophomore Trisha Eberly was to finishing sixth and getting a state medal in the floor exercise. Eberly (9.500) placed in a tie for seventh behind Concordia's Brannon Springer (9.525). At first that appears to be 2/5 of a point but the second digit is already a 10th of a point. And when we're talking about arbitrary judging, the parameters used to judge are indecipherable to normal people. Valpo's Katelyn Skinner (9.5) and Dwenger's Alicia Roche (9.5) were tied with Eberly.

"She was a quarter of a 10th of a point off the sixth place score," said CP coach Ami Pysh, who appeared to have no complaints with Eberly's score. "They really should give more than six medals here. Everybody is so good. Seventh place on floor at state is pretty good."

Cross country names the top-15 finishers at the state finals as all-staters and all are given medals. Nine of the top wrestlers in each class get medals.

Martina Buchholz said she knew she was up for the Mental Attitude Award, but she didn't think about it during the meet.

"We have to fill out a form," she said. "So I knew. But I didn't know what other seniors were coming down here and what they had done. Why did I get this? I don't know. I tried to keep my grades up and I tried to be a leader. We all did. All three of us seniors did a better job this year. Hillary (Groff) and Samantha (Zick). We are all captains and we all did a better job this year."

Buchholz has a 3.58 grade point average and was an 2006 academic all-stater in gymnastics. She has also been a volunteer assistant middle school gymnastics coach. Buchholz, who is also a pole vaulter for coach Mark Croell's girls track team, is a member of the National Honors Society. She was nominated by principal Ryan Pitcock and coach Ami Pysh. The $1,000 scholarship is provided by State Farm Insurance, a corporate sponsor of the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA).