Inside the Numbers: Carmel's 149.20

Original story

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Ruminations on Carmel's 149.20

By Mike Considine

SGS co-publisher

Wednesday, Nov. 24

So, by now you've seen that Carmel scored 149.20 in its first meet Tuesday, winning a triangular at Vernon Hills against the Cougars and Wheeling.

Of course, you know that's an incredible score for any team in its first meet of the season.

You may be wondering, though, just how good is a 149.20 for Carmel. After all, the Corsairs are the defending state champion, so the standards are high.

We're here to help, to the degree that we can.

First of all, it's a higher score than Carmel posted in winning the 2009-10 state title. That was a 147.20. It's also more than Carmel scored in winning its first two titles under Norb Bendixen, those being 148.85 in 1992 and 147.95.

But, if you've scoured the SGS website for very long, you know it isn't a school record.

A look at the final 2009-10 state rankings by season-high scores reveals that Carmel put up a 149.60 last Jan. 21 in a loaded triangular against fellow state qualifier Prairie Ridge/District 155 co-op and host Barrington in which all three teams nearly scored 140 or higher (Barrington missed by just .1).

Hmmmm. There's something about Carmel and triangulars. But that's a topic for another time.

Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, we're not 100 percent sure that the 149.60 was a school record. We'll have to get back to you on that (or maybe you'll set us straight: spartyhawk@yahoo.com) but we feel safe saying the odds are good that it was. (Although if the 1992 team could score 148.85 in front of four judges at state, it's certainly possible it could have topped 149.60 earlier in the year).

What we do know for sure is that the current 149.20 is higher than Carmel scored in 2008-9 (148.30) or 2007-8 (146.60). Unfortunately, the season-high scores for 2006-7 were lost in website shift, but the best available evidence indicates that the 149.20 wasn't in jeopardy. Carmel's best in 2005-6 was close at 149.05. In 2004-5, it was 148.70. In 2003-4, the top score was 144.275.

(Before that, we're in stats-guru Rick Kelleher's territory and I don't have his records yet ... (because I goofed last summer))

So that leads us back to last year. And the meet-by-meet results tell us (as do the Regional results: Stevenson Sectional) that the Corsairs' second-highest score was 147.875 at the Carmel Regional.

So, believe us when we say that we think the 149.20 just might be the second-highest score in school history. Maybe. Possibly. Ummmm ... well, we're not sure.

Still, we're here to tell you that was an awfully good debut and it's going to make the other contenders work a little bit harder in the next couple of weeks. But you knew that.

One last little bit. How many teams scored 149.20 or higher in the last three years? Only Carmel last year. Three teams in 2008-9. Two teams in 2007-8. So, that's pretty good.

Follow-up interview with Carmel coach Sarah Doyle

Wednesday, Dec. 1

Doyle on scoring 149.20:

I was hoping to just fly under the radar for a bit. After seeing the girls perform last Tuesday, I realized that wasn't going to happen - but it was a nice thought.

SGS:Was the 149.60 you scored last year a school record?

Doyle: I am relatively sure that had to be an all-time record for Carmel gymnastics. I do remember that in 1992, going into state, we wanted to break 149, which at the time was the high team score held by Fremd. We nearly did it, earning a 148.85. Based on that memory, I 'assume' we never broke a 149 during the regular season either. Last year, when I saw the 149.6, I do recall saying to the team that that had to be a school record.

SGS: What went well in that first meet, which events did you do well on, did girls try tricks for the first time that they hit, etc.?

Doyle: The girls just did their jobs. We had strong routines on each event, and some falls/mistakes too. No one threw anything they haven't been doing in practice. There are many skills we'll be adding throughout the season, as they become more consistent and confident.

SGS: Were you prepared to see that type of score in the first meet based on what you'd seen in practice?

Doyle: I hadn't worked out the numbers, but I wasn't surprised to see a nice team total. The girls

work so hard EVERY single practice... and winning the state championship last year is all the motivation this group needs to continue working hard every day. They are talented, driven and dedicated group - making it easy to coach them. They just want to improve on their best every meet.

SGS: Did that meet help you project what the team might be capable of this season in terms of scoring?

Doyle: I have always had very high expectations of my teams over the years, even before the girls realized to expect that of themselves. I anticipated this being another special group of girls... but it's a long season and there are a lot of talented teams out there. We just need to focus on what works for us and hopefully the scores will reflect that.

SGS: What does the team need to work on?

Doyle: The girls will just need to work on adding their full difficulty in the next month and become more and more consistent. They need to work hard to stay healthy and motivated.

SGS: Now that they've scored so high in the first meet, did you have to reign them back a bit: sort of saying, "Hey, we've still got work to do. We're not there yet"?

Doyle: A single score won't satisfy this group. They are smart enough to realize that scores will go up and down a bit throughout the season. They are such a hardworking group that they won't be happy until they all perform TOGETHER at their best - -regardless of the scores they receive. Again, it's a long season and they are well aware of all the work ahead. Fortunately, they have listened well over the past few years -- scores really don't mean anything until all those top teams are together at the end. Until then, we'll just concentrate on getting better!