Gymnastics: Stitcher shines as Deerfield wins league title
By bill mclean Contributors January 31, 2012 6:42PM
Deerfield's coach Carol Myers hugs Leslie Ross after her beam routine at the CSL North Meet on Saturday. | Joel Lerner~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: March 3, 2012 8:11AM
Deerfield junior Christine Stitcher’s medal haul, after three events at Saturday’s CSL North girls gymnastics meet on the home mats:
Silver.
Silver.
Silver.
The Warrior finished runner-up on vault (9.225), beam (9.025) and bars (9.0).
“Before her last event (floor), I knew she’d wrapped up the all-around title,” said Deerfield coach Carol Myers. “But she didn’t know that. She was disappointed she didn’t win vault, but that’s Christine — so, so competitive.”
Stitcher didn’t disappoint on floor.
Her 9.425 topped the field and highlighted the Warriors’ first-place effort (135.38 points), ahead of runner-up Glenbrook North (131.68).
Her all-around average: a personal-best 9.169.
“Beautiful … Christine’s floor routine was beautiful, from the start of it to her final fingertip point (pose),” Myers said.
“All of our girls did a fabulous job on floor. Normally, this year, floor hadn’t been our best event.”
Warriors senior Colleen Hogan finished fourth on floor (8.85), followed by sophomore Nikki Katz (8.375, eighth) and sophomore Ally Perbohner (8.325, 10th).
“Our girls expressed themselves on floor so well,” Myers said. “Lovely routines, all of them.”
Perbohner’s floor show was a new one. She had worked on it for only a week or so, with choreography help from Stitcher.
“Those two spent extra time after practice, working together,” Myers said.
Hogan (8.563 average) and Perbohner (8.287) went 3-5 in the all-around. Hogan took third on bars (8.3), fourth on beam (8.45) and seventh on vault (8.675).
“Colleen,” Myer said, “had a fabulous day. Everything she needed to do, she did. And she did it all with style and class … the way Colleen does all things.”
Perbohner finished fourth on bars (8.175) and, after landing a new dismount, placed eighth on beam (8.05).
Deerfield sophomore Leslie Ross, coming off an injury, contributed a medal-worthy effort on bars (7.8, seventh place). Sophomore Molly Ross scored a 7.1 on bars.
Deerfield’s league championship Saturday was its first since 2006 and 22nd in Myers’ 33 years of coaching.
“Our goal, all year, was to win this meet,” Myers said. “I’m proud, so proud, of the progress the girls made from the beginning of the season until now. My gymnasts were ready; they had a great practice (on Friday) and warmed up extremely well before the meet.
“This team, to see what they’ve become as competitors, as performers … rewarding,” she added. “It was incredibly rewarding for me.”
On the schedule: Deerfield hosts a regional on Feb. 2 in the North gym, instead of the main gym, the site of the CSL North meet.
“It’s cozy, quaint,” Myers said of the North gym.
Other schools in the regional field: two-time reigning state champion Carmel Catholic, Maine West, Highland Park and Vernon Hills.
Vernon Hills junior Alli Tran captured the all-around (37.375) title at Friday’s NSC Meet at Ultimate Gymnastics in Gurnee. She also topped the vault field, with an eye-popping 9.925.
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