On Friday, Feb. 20, a group of gymnasts in maroon leotards gathered in Huntingdon High School, chanting “Altoona.” The state gymnastics championship was about to begin.
“Once we walked in, it was just a good spirit,” sophomore gymnast Katie Bettwy said. “It was loud, and you could feel the excitement in the air. It was a really good experience, getting to experience that and compete as a team, and see all these other good teams because I feel like you learn a lot from other teams. Our team got really close because we were with each other for two days.”
The gymnasts competed as a team on Friday night and individually the following evening. After a 6-1 regular season, the gymnastics team clinched second place in the gold division at the state competition.
“For me, this year was a little bit of a challenge,” head coach Mark Biseli said. “This year, we had 10 gymnasts on the team, and some of my returning gymnasts had a little bit of a hard time because Linae [Heaster] sprained her ankle, and so she was out a few meets, and Taylor [Knepper], after the first meet, she broke her ankle, so she was out for the season until states. Katie [Bettwy] strained her back, so she was out for about five weeks. Our freshmen had to step up and compete in areas where they hadn’t really counted on competing.”
Junior captain Taylor Knepper competed all-around. After an injury following the first meet, Knepper was able to return to compete in bars at the state meet, earning third place in the diamond division.
“I was really proud of myself, even though I had surgery seven weeks before [states],” Knepper said. “We just pulled it together as much as we could, and came out [successfully].”
“We were rated number three in the state, and so I was kind of hoping for third place, but they actually did a very good job and came in second,” Biseli said. “I’m happy with that.”
Knepper was part of Bettwy’s support system after being injured.
“Taylor helped me the most on the team because she was out with me, so she understood what I was going through,” Bettwy said. “It was hard for us to sit here and watch the team do the meets, and we couldn’t compete. She also came back for bars at states, so she helped me a lot with coming back and getting the confidence to.”
The sophomore placed eighth on beam in the diamond division at states. For her, the season has symbolized growth.
“We honestly learned a lot this season, because we had to learn how to battle through these injuries and missing people,” Bettwy said. “The freshmen especially had to learn how this works and how to step up, because we depended on them a lot, and they honestly did amazing under pressure.”
Junior Linae Heaster also competed all-around. She prepared for the state competition with her club team and club coach, earning first place on vault, third place on beam and fifth place in all-around in the state gold division.
“[The season was] successful,” Heaster said. “I feel like as a team, individually, we’ve come over a lot of challenges and still came out.”
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with some very talented gymnasts over the years,” Biseli said. “I’d say it’s part of being on a team. You have a team, and you’re part of the team. I’ve enjoyed working with the girls.”
After coaching for 40 years, Biseli is stepping down as head gymnastics coach. He is hoping to find someone who is willing to dedicate the time to coaching the team.
“We’re sad to see him gone as a head coach now because he’s retiring,” Bettwy said. “I really think the team did well this year, the freshmen really stepped up—everyone did what they needed, and it was just good overall.”
