Beach schools look forward to abbreviated season
Editor’s note: The Peninsula District, Eastern District and Southeastern District schools canceled winter sports this week. Information on those schools’ gymnastics teams is included in this report to recognize the athletes.
Five storylines New coaches
There will be new faces in the gym for several teams as new coaches take over. At Salem, Robin Lusk-Stancil will take over for coach Wendy Bowes, who spent nearly 30 years with the SunDevils, while Annamarie Galloway becomes the head coach at First Colonial after assisting in the 201920 season. Another pair of coaches set to take over a storied program are Alanna and Marianna Parker, who will take the reins at Kellam after the retirement of longtime coach Debi Strausbaugh.
End of an era
In a four-decade career at Kellam, Strausbaugh led the Knights to five team state championships and more than 200 wins. Under her coaching, Kellam stood at the forefront of gymnastics in Hampton Roads, last winning a team title in 2016, and has been a contender nearly every year since.
Ocean Lakes eyeing repeat
Coming off a program-first gymnastics state title, the Dolphins hope to continue to make their presence known. The state title was a long time coming for coach Jennifer Ramey and her team, which had finished runner-up in the state meet in 2019. With the graduation of six seniors, Ocean Lakes, which went 20-0 en route to its title, will have a different look but hopes to make the same type of impact this season.
Beach dominance
Gym enthusiasts across Hampton Roads gave a sigh of relief when Virginia Beach announced that its winter sports season would go forward. Beach District schools have been a dominant force in gymnastics for years, with six of the past 10 state-championship-winning gymnastics teams from the Hampton Roads area hailing from Virginia Beach. Though what the season will actually look like remains to be seen, the gymnastics landscape is much clearer with Virginia Beach on board.
A season full of uncertainty
Though Virginia Beach schools will be competing in the winter sports season, other formidable programs, including Hickory, won’t get the chance to get on the mats this season. And though some schools finally know their season will go on, there’s no telling how the shortened version will look.
But as Lusk-Stancil said, teams are “just happy to have the opportunity to be together, practice and compete this season.”
Five to watch
Kylie Brown, junior, Salem
Brown was the top all-around performer at the Class 5 Region A meet last season, leading the SunDevils to second place.
Samantha Lee, junior, Ocean Lakes
Last season, Lee was selected to the all-state team on vault after finishing second in the event at the state championships.
Payton Logsdon, senior, First Colonial
As a junior, Logsdon finished third all-around in the Class 5 Region A meet and competed in the state championships as an individual.
Ericka Robertson, junior, Kellam
Robertson is the “top all-arounder” for the Knights and was named to the All-Class 6 Region A team on bars in 2020.
Katie Davis-Gillis, senior, Princess Anne
Last season, Davis-Gillis won the Class 5 Region A title on beam for the second consecutive year, and will continue to be a leader for the Cavaliers.