Darien High School is known for its athletic excellence, but unfortunately, some sports go unnoticed. Gymnastics is among these less-known sports.
Since the DHS gymnastic team practices at the Darien YMCA instead of on the high school’s campus, many students are unaware that the team exists. As a result, only a small number of girls try out for the team each year. Today, there are only fifteen girls in the program. This small number makes it impossible to form the traditional Freshmen and JV teams, so every gymnast is automatically on Varsity.
Despite their team not being well-known among DHS halls, the gymnasts practice as if a crowd is always watching them; they put in a tremendous amount of effort. Their practices are usually two hours long and consist of running, stretching, and working on the uneven bars, the beam, and the vault. These activities require a great deal of strength; by the end of the two hour practice, the gymnasts’ arms are usually tired from all of the exercises.
When asked if the team’s hard work is paying off, senior gymnast Annika Florio said, “So far we are doing really well. We had our first meet this past weekend and came in second out of eleven teams, which was a really good way to start the season. We have a lot of strong returning gymnasts who are really solid in all four events, and a lot of [the] new freshmen…have a lot of talent.”
Come see the gymnasts compete at their next meet! It will take place on Saturday, January 17th, in the Darien YMCA’s Gymnastics Center.
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| Senior Sam Gunn concentrates during a meet. ©DAF |
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