A Night in Candyland: Mercer Island Girl’s Gymnastics Senior Night

The+Gymnastics+Team+gathers+for+a+team+cheer.+Photo+by+Hannah+Howison.

The Gymnastics Team gathers for a team cheer. Photo by Hannah Howison.

Hannah Howison, Staff Writer

The Mercer Island Girls Gymnastics Team lost their senior night meet to Lake Washington on Thursday Jan. 9. 

Between the two teams, Mercer Island had the largest roster, giving them the advantage to obtain an award.

The theme of Thursday’s meet was Candyland, different than any other senior night before it. 

“We thought that Candyland would be a fun way to get everybody pumped up,” said Senior Team Captain Ashley Joseph.

Because it was senior night, the athletes were under a lot of pressure to end their high school careers on a good note.

While the event was stressful for some, most of the team was excited to compete regardless of the result.

“We just come for the fun of it,” Joseph said. 

For the most part, there were no trip-ups on vault, but some competitors did not stick their landings after vault, which factored into scoring. 

Bars went well for most Mercer Island athletes. Competitors from other teams even were clapping and cheering for the Islander’s standout performances. 

Mercer Island also performed well on beam. 

On the floor, there were hardly any memorable trip-ups, which is impressive, especially when considering the circumstances of senior night pressure.