COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Saturday the Coldwater High School gymnastics team hosted its 16th annual Stick It for a Cure meet. The purpose of this meet is not the gymnastics itself but rather to honor survivors and patients who are currently battling cancer, along with loved ones who have lost their battle to cancer.
During the meet there was a silent auction and raffle that helped raise money, along with the girls going around to local businesses to get donations towards this cause. The goal of all that is to raise money to donate to the local cancer center to make patients’ lives just a little easier while getting treatment.
Over the last 16 years, the Coldwater gymnastics team has raised over $120,000 for our local Oncology Center. The team has purchased numerous items for the cancer center, including a sound system, cooling caps, comforters, and comfy recliners, all dedicated to providing comfort care during treatments.
Between the hard work from the gymnast, generous donations from local businesses, and lots of parents who volunteered to help run the auction and raffle. This year, the gymnasts were able to raise $7,425. $2,000 of that will go toward getting gift cards to local restaurants for anyone celebrating the end of their treatment. The rest will go into buying gas cards to help patients get to and from their treatments, to help diminish any worry about transport expenses.
For the meet itself, the competition featured teams from around the state, including two teams from the Upper Peninsula. Leading the meet was Saline with a 134.65. Following them in second was JAG A with a 132.725, and in third was Lowell with a 131.275. Parma Western and Escanaba High Schools rounded out the top five. Coldwater Red finished in 8th place overall with a 115.275, and Coldwater White ended in 9th with their highest score of the season, breaking 100 with a 103.575.
Coldwater White started the meet on vault; Jalianna Zepeda was up first, gaining her first vault qualifier with a 7.9. Following her was Payton Taylor (7.75), Lily Scheidler (7.6), Isabella Cornish, also gaining her first vault qualifier with a 7.925, and ending with Kennedy Austin, who gained yet another qualifier with an 8.2. Showing up for the red team were Maryfer Galvan (7.925), Macy Poradzisz (7.975), Annika Johnson (8.375), Sofia Gruner (8.45), and Kristian Thornton (8.3), who all got regional qualifying scores and some of the highest scores of the season.
Next up was the white team on bars. This was the first time all season the lineup was full for bars; this included Taylor (4.175), Berkley Stewart (3.325), Scheidler (4.6), Cornish (3.25), and Austin (4.55). Competing for the red team were Galvan (4.55), Thornton (4.8), Johnson (5.075), Gruner (5.425), and Poradzisz (5.825).
On the beam, the white team included Scheidler (5.9), Taylor (4.175), Stewart (3.325), Zepeda (6.675), and Cornish (6.275). The red team started with Thornton getting her personal best this year with a 6.8. Galvan was up next, getting her second beam qualifier of the year with a 7.675. Following her were Poradzisz (7.25), Johnson (6.875), and Gruner (7.225).
Ending the day on floor for the white team were Kinley Cummings (7.625), Austin, scoring her highest floor score with a 7.425, Zepeda (7.525), Taylor (7.275), and Scheidler, gaining her third floor qualifier with a 7.825. The red team was also having a great day on the floor, starting with Poradzisz also gaining her third floor qualifier with a 7.85 and Galvan gaining her first qualifier on the floor with a 7.875. Thornton followed them, scoring a 6.8, and Gruner got yet another floor qualifier and a personal best of the season with an 8.225, and the day ended with Johnson, who also scored yet another qualifier and personal best of the season with an 8.075.
The Cardinals travel to Adrian February 12 for the SCGL conference meet.
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