Thursday, Dec. 2

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Fillies soldier on without their coach in MSL opener

Barrington has a lot of people back this season, but an important member was missing for Tuesday’s Mid-Suburban League West Division meet at Schaumburg.
Just before the bus ride, the Fillies were told that they would be competing without head coach Jason Loeffler after the death of his father, Alan.
“We didn’t know until we were grabbing our stuff, about to get our food and leave (for the meet),” Barrington senior Lexi Marsella said.
“It’s a rough meet today. We feel bad. Jason is one of the closest coaches that I’ve ever had. And I know that he loves this team. It’s really hard to see someone that we love and we look up to be really hurt. It’s awful.”
Barrington may have lost 142.40-133.20 but showed plenty of courage considering the circumstances and a lineup affected by injuries. The Fillies used eight gymnasts with Marsella and freshman Laine Leedstrom as all-arounders.
Assistant coach Nancy Smarinski oversaw the team, which dedicated its performances to Loeffler.

“(Smarinski) was very positive, very helpful and she brought us here, all 43 girls ,and one of Jason’s best friends thankfully showed up to help us out,” Marsella said.
“It was really tough but (Smarinski) kept us very focused and very positive. Without her, I feel like we probably wouldn’t have been as positive a team as we are. We came out for Jason, our coach, to do well for him and hopefully go home and be like 'Yes, I did this,' and 'Yes I did this,' to kind of lift his spirits. We tried to stay positive as a team. I was trying to stay positive as a captain, as a leader and I’m hoping it wore off on the team. It looks like it did so I’m glad that’s how it happened.”
Marsella won vaulting (9.05), was third on the uneven parallel bars (8.7) and tied for third on balance beam (8.5) and floor exercise (9.15). Marsella also was third in all-around (35.40) behind Schaumburg senior Brooke Shimon (36.65), who won bars (9.25) and beam (9.2), and junior Ashley Miller (36.10), who won floor (9.4). Leedstrom tied for fourth on uneven bars (8.65).
Hopefully, this is the only time Marsella will have difficulty competing. Last season, she suffered an ankle injury about a month before sectionals but battled her way back. Three days before sectionals, she broke her left ankle in two places and never got the chance to compete at state.
“Looking back on it, my broken ankle was my best friends. Thanks to my broken ankle, I come back now this year knowing that’s my spot,” Marsella said. “It was a huge blow. I was really upset about it, considering I came back and I wanted it. I felt it. I was right there and I had it ad then something like that happens and it’s all gone.
“I came to state last year on my crutches, watched and it’s really hard knowing that’s my spot but this year I’m coming back and I’m getting that spot. There’s nothing stopping me this year. I’m going to do it.”
With juniors Tori Brunet, Hannah Heider, Marissa Krzysko and Tiffany Persels also back, the Broncos certainly have enough talent to make a run for the program’s first state team berth since 2003.
On Tuesday, Krzysko only competed on bars to rest a back injury while Brunet also sat out after hurting her ankle at Saturday’s Rolling Meadows Invite. Persels has been out since the preseason with an elbow injury.
Also in Tuesday’s lineup were seniors Emily Stackhouse and Monique DeAvilla, junior Clair Timlin and freshman Brook Morgan, limited to two events by an ankle injury.
“Right now, these (meets) are just getting us ready, warming us up for coming to state,” Marsella said. “At the end of the year, I’m hoping for a completely healthy team that’s ready to come back and just prove everyone wrong.”

Shimon,

Schaumburg

shine against

Barrington

By Bill Stone

Schaumburg senior Brooke Shimon had her right ankle taped during Tuesday’s meet against Barrington, but there’s no need to worry.
“It’s just precaution, just to make sure,” Shimon said. “It feels good to be back with no injuries, knock on wood.”
Shimon and the Saxons have high aspirations, and they displayed just a glimpse of what they hope they can accomplish with a 142.40-133.20 victory in their Mid-Suburban League West Division opener.
Shimon won all-around (36.65), the uneven parallel bars (9.25) and balance beam (9.2) and junior Ashley Miller won floor exercise (9.4). Barrington senior Lexi Marsella won vaulting (9.05).
It’s early, but the Saxons already are among the state’s top-ranked teams. They’re focused on the end of the season, though, when they hope to reach the state meet as a team for the first time.

“Not perfect (tonight), of course, but we definitely have the potential to go to state as a team," Miller said, "which is what we really want this year. We just have to keep getting better every meet, progressing. (Being ranked is) big for us because we’ve never gone to state as a team. That’s our main goal for the season, to go up."
Shimon and Miller previously have qualified for state as individuals. Schaumburg also returns senior Caitlin Barnett and sophomores Erin Barrett and Amanda Sigler from its sectional lineup and has added freshman Kat Young.

Miller also was second in all-around (36.10) and bars (9.2), and she and Shimon shared second on vault (9.0). Erin Barrett (35.20) was second on beam (9.0), and Caitlin Barrett tied for third on beam (8.5).
“(State is) what they’d like and we’re going to see. If we’re going to do it, this is the year with Brooke and Caitlin being seniors so we’ll see,” Schaumburg coach Jami Stilling said.
“They’re all fired up about it so that’s good. They’re excited and pushing. Last year they weren’t ready to be done. We just started clicking. We had girls coming back from injuries and then all of a sudden we just missed going to state so it was a kind of a bummer. But they were excited to get back in the gym and work out."
One thing they hope doesn’t happen is another injury to Shimon. First came elbow pain during her freshman year and surgery right after the season ended.
“(It hurt) really bad during sectionals, but I chose to compete on it, which was not smart,” she said.
After Shimon was out from gymnastics for six months, her other elbow was discovered to need the same surgery in August, 2008. Another six months sidelined.
Right before her junior season, Shimon broke her ankle. Yet she returned to action by mid-December and went on to reach state in all-around, uneven bars and floor.
“People laugh at me sometimes," Stilling said, "but I think most gymnasts would have been done for the seasons, having a broken ankle the week before the season. It’s crazy (she returned so fast). She never was 100 percent. I think at the state meet she was maybe 80 percent, feeling better, but she wasn’t her same self.
“Her first year (healthy) – finally. Every year she was struggling or playing catch up with something so finally her senior year to be healthy and ready to go and not playing catch up halfway through the season and we’re glad to have her back.”
What’s also exciting is that Schaumburg still has so much more to show.
“(The goal is) keep everyone healthy and keep working on stuff because right now we have watered down routines,” Stilling said. “They’re not all throwing what they need to throw but just trying to be consistent and hit and get all of the requirements in. We’ll throw more difficult stuff after break.”
Miller was a 2010 state finalist on uneven bars (11th, 8.65) and usually scores in the mid-9s. On Tuesday, she caught her Tkatchev release move but ended with a more conservative layout dismount. She plans on using her stronger dismount (toe on, front half) at Saturday’s Conant Invitational.
“I didn’t do an upgraded dismount, but I was just happy I caught my release move,” Miller said. “I’m just trying to get it together.”