If there’s one thing for which second-year Cheney gymnastics coach Melissa Bradley might be thankful it might be she has better numbers.
It might have even been a stretch to consider Bradley’s 2021-22 team a team in the first place. Coming off of COVID, her first team had but just two competitors — and one of those landed on the injury roster.
But the sole survivor, Emma Ayers, a newbie to the sport at the high school level would go on to earn runner-up honors at JV districts. It was a pretty amazing feat competing against people who have done gymnastics before, her coach said.
The 2022-23 team has six members, a pair of sophomores in Ayres and Sarah Bolstad as well as four freshmen: Karina Lucas Fregoso, April Passey, Jersie Sconce and Summer Smith.
“We have five that have experience in gymnastics and one who is brand new,” Bradley said. “So I’m pretty excited about this season.”
While Bradley, who is assisted by Gretchen Tempel, is only in her second season of high school coaching, the duo both started coaching in 2011 at a club gym. It was, perhaps, the perfect training having landed in Cheney as coaching ranged from recreational gymnastics all the way up to the competitive level.
It is certainly a challenge to build a team because of the need for athletes to possess some kind of experience to feel successful, Bradley suggested.
“You don’t have to if you want to compete at the high school level,” Bradley explained. “But it can be frustrating if you don’t have those foundational years.”
Cheney opened Greater Spokane League competition Dec. 13 at Rogers and will compete in six meets, including one at home Jan. 10 at 6 p.m.
Paul Delaney is a retired Free Press Publishing reporter and can be reached at [email protected].
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