Framingham High gymnastics glad to be back after near two-year hiatus of home meets
Last Friday was a particularly stressful day for Sandy Maier.
The Framingham High head gymnastics coach could not sit still, and she found herself pacing back and forth. Maier works as a teacher at Milford High, but found it a bit difficult to focus that day.
Upon leaving Milford, she headed toward Holliston, more specifically Shen’s Gymnastics Academy. Once she got closer to her destination, Maier began to drive her white Honda CRV around. She even pulled into a random parking lot to go over her lineup.
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Maier eventually pulled into the Shen’s parking lot an hour before her team’s home meet against Needham. Nervous and excited, she sat in her car before eventually heading inside.
For Maier and her gymnasts, this was the first time the Flyers were hosting a meet in close to two years after having no winter sports last year due to COVID-19 precautions.
“I was in school all day, but I couldn’t stay in my own skin,” Maier said. “All I could think about was the meet. With all the emotion, it was just a lot to take in. I was so excited to host this meet after not hosting one for so long. I was also so excited for the kids to get to compete again and I know how excited they were.”
Senior captain Maddie Walsh and junior captain Kevin Theodoro also shared their thoughts on the return to competing as a program.
“Being back in our home gym and hosting again was so incredibly exciting,” Walsh said. “I know we have a strong team this year and I know what we’re capable of. So to be back in our gym competing again was awesome.”
“It was amazing,” Theodoro said. “We were all so excited to be back there competing with each other against another team. We didn’t get to compete last year and we already had sports shut down for a week this year. So this was special for us.”
On Friday, Walsh and Theodoro spearheaded the Flyers doing the @MetrowestSports Instagram takeover.
All 11 members of the team – a smaller group than in years past – sported black pants and their new Nike team zip-up jackets. According to Theodoro, they wanted to show everybody what a meet day is like for them. Their excitement knowing they were going to be hosting and competing that night was quite apparent.
But they were also thrilled to be able to take over a large platform, especially on a social media account with over 10K followers.
“I think it really united us as a team and we got ourselves out there to a big audience,” Theodoro said. “Being able to have that platform for a small team was incredible. It brought us together.”
“We’ve always been kind of the underdog sport and don’t get as much recognition as some other sports teams,” Walsh said. “So getting to have that platform for a day was really fun and exciting for us.”
Friday night’s meet was the first time the Flyers were able to display something new. Something that was Theodoro’s idea.
Theodoro has two younger siblings, so there was a small plastic crown lying around his house. He decided to utilize the crown this year with his team, with each person getting the chance to wear it after competing.
“I wanted to implement something that unites the team and gets everybody hyped,” Theodoro said. “We all work extremely hard day in and day out and I wanted that to show whether we have a good performance or not a good performance. It makes each person feel happy and proud of themselves. I’ve seen other teams do similar things. It’s a great addition, we all love it.”
“Gymnastics is a super nerve-wracking sport, so each person gets to wear the crown to show they just did something awesome and that the team is proud of them,” Walsh said. “The girls get to feel like a queen and Kevin gets to feel like a king.”
As for the meet itself, Framingham came away with a season-opening victory, 140.9-124.8.
The Flyers were missing junior Olivia Jones, who was out with a hyper-extended elbow, but still put up a good score. The school record, according to Maier, is 143.75, very much within reach this season.
“To start with the score we did, that says it all,” Maier said. “I had no idea we’d end up with a 140.9 for our first team score of the season. That never happens. Usually, we start with a significantly lower score and then improve from there.”
Freshman Olivia “Livvy” Lane, a level 10 elite gymnast, scored a 9.4 on vault, balance beam, and floor exercise. Theodoro scored a personal-best 9.5 on floor and scored a 9.3 on vault.
Sophomore Maggie Spring, who didn’t get the chance to compete last year as a freshman, also contributed with a 9.45 on beam and a 9.0 on vault.
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“It was an incredible performance,” Maier said. “With every score, I became more and more excited. I almost had to decompress a bit after because it was so much to take in.”
“We’re a team above all and as a team, we really did amazing,” Theodoro said. “That was an incredible score for us to open the season.”
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Framingham gymnastics back after hiatus Milford MetroWest Daily News
