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Overcast South Side gymnasts handle adversity
Frequent remote learning days throughout January due to Covid-19 protocols and more than a dozen inches of snow during the first few days of February forced South Side High School’s gymnasts to miss numerous meets and practices.
“We had about two full weeks off at one point and just one meet completed in almost a month,” Cyclones coach Ashley Harney said. “The girls aren’t as sharp as they want to be, but they’re more than ready to get going again. We’ll be cramming and jamming to get everything squeezed in before the county individual and team championships.”
If all goes well, South Side will compete in as few as five and as many as six meets leading up to the Nassau individual meet this Saturday at Long Beach. The county team finals featuring the highest-scoring eight teams in Nassau are set for Feb. 27 at Massapequa. The Cyclones, who compete in Conference I, finished third in the county team finals last winter.
Harney’s roster features a nice mix of seniors and underclassmen, some of which missed the opening meet against Wantagh Jan. 19 that saw the Cyclones produce a solid score of 153.
Senior Gillian Pinsky, in her third varsity campaign and also with club gymnastics experience under her belt, produced her first-ever 9-plus score on floor exercise in the opener. “She’s a strong athlete who competes in all four events,” Harney said.
Senior Erin Agoglia also competes in all four events and has scored as high as 9.3 on floor. “Her tumbling skills are phenomenal,” Harney noted. Senior Sydney Brancaccio missed the opener but is raring to go, the coach said, after competing in all four events last winter. She brings a strong beam routine and scores high consistently.
Junior Payton Waller usually anchors the Cyclones on the uneven bars and last season ranked as one of their top scorers on floor, topping off with a 9.2. She’ll also compete in all four events.
With the team a little shorthanded, sophomore Katie Connors rose to the occasion in the opener and performed well across the board, including a 9.0 floor and a team-best 8.05 on vault.
“It has definitely been a challenge so far,” Harney said. “Fingers crossed, everything is behind us and we can get enough meets in so many of the girls can compete in the county individual meet.”
