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Show Park City Gymnasts Capture Third Place Despite missing their top gymnast ' in optional competition, and two other solid performers, the PCHS gymnastic team took third place in the state championship gymnastic meet held at BYU on April 9. Union and Lehi, both 2-A schools, has the best scores at 222.90 and 216.35 respectively. Park City was the top 1-A school at 214.00. The irony of the meet was that Park City had defeated Union earlier in the season by 12 points in a five-way meet. They lost to Union in the sectionals by 25 points, but as the PCHS girls boarded the bus for sectionals' 'they were rocked with the news of the three gymnasts suspensions. "I think learning of the suspensions just before the sectionals threw my girls off," said coach Gail McBride. "The girls rallied back in the state competition though. They pulled together to make up for the loss of Teri (Potts), Amy (Irvine) and Amanda (Smith)". "There is no doubt that without the suspensions we would have won. Terri alone would have added 24 points," McBride said. "It takes a full team to win and we didn't have a full team." Senior Lisa Thaller and freshman Julie Halfhill were the only Park City girls to place in the compulsory events. Thaller was third in the all around and Halfhill was fifth in the vault exercise. "Lisa had a fine four years in gymnastics and even though we didn't take state she can take pleasure in knowing she was one of the best gymnasts in the state during her four years," McBride said. Sophomore Susan Mahoney, freshman Kim Robinson and senior Connie Hamilton all placed well in the optional events for the Miners. Mahoney was second in beam and fourth in the vault. "Susan has a lot of talent and utilized it more this year. She will be great for the team in her junior year," McBride said. r - I . i$ . sf J- I i .' : - " . -- ' X h i r ... ; Robinson was fifth in the beam and Hamilton was fifth in all around and sixth in the floor event. Anita Miles, who took firsts in the region aH around, last year was'absent from the list of top finishers. "I was surprised Anita didn't place in the top five in any of the events," said McBride. "She got the jitters and made a couple of mistakes that she never made in practices. " McBride said the meet, which lasted for over, six hours, was long, tiring and somewhat confusing for her and her team. "When they posted the scores they wouldn't have the girls number alongside it. So if you didn't pay strict attention you weren't able to tell whose score you were looking at." McBride said. Connie Hamilton performs for the last time in state gymnastic competition before moving to California. |