Coldwater Gymnastics competes at Rockford, Calhoun wins All-Around gold at Flip Flop Invite

ROCKFORD, MI. — The Coldwater Cardinal Gymnastics team traveled to Rockford on Saturday for the annual Flip Flop Invitational. The competition features teams from around the state, most of which competed at the MHSAA team State Finals in 2022. The defending team state champions Rockford won the invite with their impressive team total of 143.35 points while the Jackson Area Gymnastics (JAG) cooperative team of 6 high schools was second with 141.45 points, followed by Grand Ledge High School with a 139.45. Plymouth Canton and Lowell High Schools rounded out the top five. Coldwater finished in tenth place overall.

The young Coldwater team used their winter break to put together many new routines and learn several new skills or upgraded skill combinations. Their efforts paid off with huge dividends on Saturday as the team improved their total score by more than 10 points.

“In gymnastics, improving a score by a point or more is a huge accomplishment,” said Coldwater head coach Kim Nichols. “The fact that this team put up more than 10 points speaks volumes to their hard work and efforts over the winter break. Coach Kahler and I couldn't be more pleased with the results.”

The Cardinals tallied 123.675 points in total, besting their previous mark of 113.35 points in December. Coldwater also collected 12 individual MHSAA Regional qualifying scores on the day. The highlight of the competition came when junior phenom Charlotte Calhoun claimed the top honors in the Division 2 All-Around and Uneven Bars competitions.  Calhoun is the first Cardinal to ever claim the top prize in the All-Around at the Rockford Invitational.

“We were surprised to see Charlotte finish on top in the All-Around only in that we had planned to be conservative to start the season,” noted Nichols. “We knew that she would do well on the Uneven Bars because of her efforts at State Finals (fourth place overall) from last year.  The All-Around win, however, was a very pleasant surprise and amazing feat. Her first place finish at the invite definitely puts her on the map in terms of competitors around the state.”

Coldwater began the competition on the floor exercise where four Cardinals made their debut with brand new routines. Three individuals earned qualifying scores on the event and it set the tone for a great day of competition. The Cardinals tallied their highest event total of the day at 33.375 points. Calhoun led the team with her score of 8.9 points, earning her second individual qualifying score on the event. Randi Dudek was next in line with her efforts at 8.6 points, also her second qualifier, while the senior improved more than half a point from the first competition. Sophomore Kiraly Schoenauer earned a solid 8.325 points on the floor for her second qualifier as well while Sophia Gruner collected 7.55 points in the varsity competition as she continues to improve her routine.  First-time competitors included senior Teagan Rabideau, and freshmen Carly Krzyzanski, Halie McFarland, and Halle Towers.  Macy Poradzisz  joined her teammates on the floor with several updates to her routine. McFarland lead the JV scoring with her mark of 7.1.

The second event for Coldwater was the Vault where five individuals competed in the event. This was a huge upgrade for Coldwater from their first outing where they were not able to field a complete team on the event. Four scores are required for a team score and they could only vault three competitors at the first meet.

“Assistant Coach Janet Kahler has been working hard to get several of our newcomers to learn the skills necessary for vaulting and they are all steadily making progress,'' explained Nichols.

The team posted a total of 32.075 points on the event, led by Charlotte Calhoun who put up an impressive score of 8.575 points for her vault that has a value of 8.8. Dudek was close behind with her mark of 8.4, which was the second qualifier for both Cardinals. Freshman Sophia Gruner came up big on the event with her score of 8.0 points improving almost at one point over her first outing. She collected her first ever individual qualifying score on the event for her efforts. Teagan Rabideau made her debut on the event to help the Cardinals Vault into the team score with a mark of 7.1 points. Carly Krzyzanski  also vaulted for the first time of her gymnastics career and earned a solid 7.0 points for her efforts.

After the lunch time break Coldwater returned to competition on the uneven bars. The team posted a total of 27.275 points on the event and three gymnasts earned their second individual qualifying scores along the way.

Coldwater captain Charlotte Calhoun claimed first-place honors in Division 2 for her nearly flawless effort on the bars at 8.85 points.  Schoenauer was next in line with a solid score of 7.6 points while co-captain Randi Dudek earned 7.3 points for her efforts. The senior had a couple of missteps as she works to polish the addition of a second superior release skill in her routine. Adding to the team score were Gruner (3.525) and Rabideau(3.175).  Each of the girls improved their efforts from the first outing adding more skills and refining their routines.

Coldwater finished the Invitational on the balance beam, tallying 30.95 points. Three Cardinals collected MHSAA Regional scores and two individuals made their debut on the event. Once again Calhoun put together a nearly flawless performance and earned 8.575 points on the beam. It was her second straight individual qualifying score. Dudek earned 7.75 points for her efforts, almost a full point higher than her previous outing. Schoenauer was close behind with 7.675 points. It was the first qualifier for both gymnasts.  Rabideau and Krzyzanski made their debuts on the event. Gruner, McFarland, Towers, and Poradzisz also competed for Coldwater. The newcomers tallied more than three points up from their previous outing as each of the gymnasts used the winter break to upgrade and refine their skills.

In the All-Around competition, Calhoun bested all of her Division 2 competitors to claim the top honors, posting a total of 34.9 points. Calhoun is the first Coldwater gymnast to achieve this feat in the eleven years of attending the invite.

Dudek was consistent with her tally of 32.05 points, just 0.025 off from her previous outing.  Sofia Gruner improved on her efforts with her total of 26.025 points.  First time all-arounder Teagan Rabideau tallied 21.325 points on the day.

Coldwater will host the Jackson Area Gymnastics team for their next competition on Wednesday for their annual Jillian Crist Memorial meet. The public is invited to bring non-perishable food pantry items to help restock the local food pantry in her honor.  The competition begins in the auxiliary gymnasium at 6 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Coldwater Gymnastics competes Flip Flop Invite, Calhoun wins All-Around gold