On Feb. 25, North’s gymnastics team placed fourth overall at the state competition. In addition, one of their seniors, Rachel Nicastro, placed third on the beam and tenth overall.
Placing so high overall was a school record for gymnastics, and coach Thomas Wirth is proud of the team’s dedication and focus as they worked their way toward state. They had the goal of reaching state since the season began in August, and they worked tirelessly to get there.
“You could see the team progress, practice by practice. … If you looked at the drive to go to state when we were in August, it was completely different than when it was when we were in January. Seeing everyone’s motivation kind of amp up for it was awesome,” Nicastro said.
Getting to state and accomplishing their goal was a long road, especially with the loss of an important member of the team, junior Arianna Halick. She tore her ACL in the middle of the season and the team had to work through continuing without her together.
“[Losing a team member] is hard because, in your mind, it’s going to be a loss to your team, but you want to keep everybody else moving along, keep them motivated at the same time,” said Wirth. “I let them know that just because we lost one, we can still step it up and achieve the goals that we set out at the beginning of the season, and [I] just got them to believe that they were still more than capable of doing it, even with a shorter lineup.”
Nicastro, who was All Conference this year, also had a major accomplishment this season with her third place finish in the beam event and tenth overall seeding. She was also an important member of the team in ways other than her athletic success.
“She’s been a staple for us for the last four years. It’s hard to describe what she means to everybody here. She’s a motivator. She keeps the girls moving. Whenever we’re at a competition, she’s cheering for everybody, not only for the girls on our team, but she’s cheering for everybody. She just wants everybody to do the best that they possibly can. [She is] a huge reason why our team did as well as it did,” said Wirth.
As a senior, Nicastro took a large part in leading the team and helping to ensure their success. She was the team’s rock for many during the season, even setting aside her own time to encourage the rest of the girls.
“I think what I’ve realized throughout our meets is, there’s certain people I talk to before the routines, I know everyone to a point. Like, one girl I need to sit there and she needs five minutes to get ready, and I’ll talk to her. Some people I don’t go up to them [because they like it] silent,” said Nicastro.
Gymnastics is not only a physically tough sport, but mental as well. Many gymnasts focus their efforts on not only their routines but also how to train their brains for intense competition.
“We talked to a sports mentor type of person before regionals. … What we learned from her is being okay with whatever outcome and that your brain is so powerful that, [you should] imagine what you’re doing before every routine. Don’t ever say no to yourself. [Don’t say] ‘don’t fall,’ think about your corrections, stay on the beam,” said Nicastro.
Overall, both the coaches and athletes are proud of all that they accomplished across the whole season and are looking forward to what the future holds
“This was one of those my favorite seasons I’ve ever coached. It was nice to see a group of 20 girls come together and work together and set goals three months out and work continuously to achieve those goals. They were a fun group to work with,” said Wirth.
