VAME gymnastics hoping for a season, but prepared for anything
VERONA, Wis. (BVM) — Verona Area Madison Edgewood (VAME) gymnastics made it back to state for the first time in seven years last season.
“With such a young team last year, my goal was really more to just get the incoming girls comfortable and acquainted with high school gymnastics,” VAME head coach Rachael Hauser said.
Led by senior Hailey Dohnal and then-freshman Ella Crowley, VAME did more than just get acquainted with the high school gymnastics season. It finished 10th at state.
What made the trip even more special in retrospect was that it took place from March 6-7, just days before the country shut down due to COVID-19.
“I really can’t believe the luck we had with the timing of state in spring,” Hauser said. “I am extremely grateful that we were able to compete.”
After giving Dohnal the proper sendoff, VAME and Hauser could look forward to this upcoming season. The young team had state experience now and was ready to return to state. However, now it would be focusing on doing something no VAME team has ever done: finish better than seventh at state.
“I believe this team is capable of a top-five finish,” Hauser said. “With the added bonus of getting that state competition experience in last season, I think the girls now have a much better understanding of what they need to do to get back there and fight for that goal.”
The girls spent the summer practicing in local gyms and hoping that they would be able to have a season. Early on, there were already concerns because the Big Eight Conference had moved all fall sports to the spring. Gymnastics, a winter sport could only wait for the conference to make an announcement on how it would proceed with winter sports.
“It’s just been a waiting game for all of us,” Hauser said. “With no real direction one way or the other, the best we could do from an administrative standpoint was to start recruiting and planning as normal.”
This was more than enough to keep VAME busy. The team is currently in the process of moving to a new school and facility. The wait ended for VAME and the other Big Eight schools on Oct. 19 when the conference announced it would not be hosting any winter sports seasons.
“There is still a possibility that we will get to practice and have some non-conference meets,” Hauser said. “We are all very hopeful that we will be able to work out a competition plan, even if it’s significantly truncated or very non-traditional in terms of how the meets are run.”
Hauser and other Big Eight coaches are also working on a backup plan if the high school season is a no go. The hope would be to have some type of season using local gyms and in cooperation with the local club gymnastics teams, allow the gymnasts to have some form of competition.
All of this is still in the conversation, but for now, VAME is planning for the first practice to be held Nov. 16 in small groups.
Until VAME hears otherwise, the team has a goal it wants to reach this season and is trying to stay positive. But if the worst-case scenario happens, VAME will simply shift its focus from this year to next and beyond that.
“They have long-term goals they can keep training for through the club, and we’ll just be that much better next season,” Hauser said.
