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Coldwater's 13th annual Stick It for a Cure Gymnastics Invite a success both in the gym and out

troy tennyson, coldwater daily reporter
·8 min read
The Coldwater Cardinal Gymnastics program held their 13th annual Stick for a Cure Gymnastics Invite, which was a rousing success both in the gym and out
The Coldwater Cardinal Gymnastics program held their 13th annual Stick for a Cure Gymnastics Invite, which was a rousing success both in the gym and out

COLDWATER, MI. — The Coldwater High School gymnastics team hosted their 13th annual Stick It For a Cure Gymnastics Invitational on Saturday. The meet featured teams from all four corners of the state including Escanaba, Lowell, Plymouth, and Saline. The Farmington United gymnastics team claimed the top honors with a total score of 142.775 points. Jackson Area gymnastics was a close second with 142.125 points, followed by the Grand Ledge Comets at 141.625. Plymouth and Lowell High Schools rounded out the top five. Coldwater posted a season high score of 129.25 points at the event dedicated to giving back to the community.

The Cardinal powerhouse duo of Randi Dudek and Charlotte Calhoun both earned honors on the awards stand at the end of the day.

Calhoun made CHS history at the event, claiming the top prize on the podium for the All-Around in Division 2.  She is the first Cardinal to finish in first place overall at the famed Stick It competition for Division 2. The only other Cardinal to accomplish this feat was Kylie Dudek, finishing on top in Division 1 in 2010.

The gymnasts have worked hard all season raising awareness for all types of cancer and supporting those in need of care during treatment by selling doughnuts, teaching gymnastics lessons, canvassing businesses, selling raffle tickets, and making baskets for the silent auction.  To show their support of the team, several of the staff from each of the schools at Jefferson, Lakeland, Legg, and CHS put together an impressive total of seven baskets to contribute to the cause.  The funds from this year’s event will be dedicated to updating the Serenity Garden at the ProMedica Oncology Center, purchasing a new vitals machine, and new lab carts.  At press time, the total donations have surpassed $15,000.  The opening ceremonies featured two guest speakers including a speech from ProMedica Oncology Center Director Sondra Fettes, and a touching personal account from survivor Michael Cole.  Afterwards, the gymnasts honored survivors with gifts of picture frames and coffee mugs that they had decorated for the honorees.

Coldwater's Carly Krzyzanski flies high on the balance beam Saturday at the Stick It for a Cure Invite
Coldwater's Carly Krzyzanski flies high on the balance beam Saturday at the Stick It for a Cure Invite

“It was truly an amazing day!  The love and support for our community and taking care of our cancer patients is overwhelming. I am so grateful to everyone that supported us in this endeavor,” exclaimed Coldwater head coach Kim Nichols. “We have some great people in our committee and team parents that make it all happen. The team simply couldn’t do all of this without them!”

In addition to the donations collected, the "Stick It For a Cure” theme of the meet applies to the gymnasts as well.  All of the competitors who “stuck” a routine were given prizes at the end of the day. The theme allows all of the gymnasts, parents, judges, and coaches to celebrate the efforts of all gymnasts, at all levels of competition. It creates a feel good energy in the gym and fosters a great sense of accomplishment for competitors.

Coldwater competed three squads of gymnasts in an effort to allow each athlete to perform at the big event, with two of the squads performing on the vault for their first rotation.

The team posted an impressive season best event tally of 34.900. In Division 2, Charlotte Calhoun upgraded her new Yurchenko vault and was rewarded with a personal best of 9.25 points, which as it turned out, wasn’t her only PR for the day, but a great start for the competition.  With over 100 competitors and 20 rotations later, the junior finished in third place at the end of the day.

The Coldwater Gymnastics team raised thousands of dollars with auctions, item sales, and a very large silent auction, with all money raised going to local cancer centers.
The Coldwater Gymnastics team raised thousands of dollars with auctions, item sales, and a very large silent auction, with all money raised going to local cancer centers.

Keeping the pace with her teammate for Division 1 was Randi Dudek who completed her tuck Tsukahara for the first time this season and earned 8.8 for her efforts.  The senior claimed the fourth place finish overall.

Coldwater had four more individual Regional qualifiers on the event including sophomore Kiraly Schoenauer who posted a solid 8.6.  Freshman Sophia Gruner picked up her third MHSAA Regional mark at 8.25 points and now needs just one more to compete in the postseason on the vault. Freshman Macy Poradzisz was next in line with her second qualifying score of 7.95, followed close behind by Klara-Sophie Bollmann with 7.9 points. It was the first qualifying score for the exchange student from Denmark.  Senior Teagan Rabideau continues to improve on the event and posted a solid 7.6 for the Cardinals. The third Cardinal squad opened their competition on the floor exercise with the freshmen trio of Halie McFarland, Halle Towers, and Spanish exchange student Aroa Ramos - Galvez.

Coldwater struggled on the uneven bars and posted their lowest event total of the day at 27.675, but they rallied back for the rest of the competition.  Calhoun finished in a tie for seventh in D2 with her mark of 8.35, followed by Dudek who earned 7.875 (8th) in D1.  Schoenauer collected 7.45 for Coldwater with Gruner picking up 4 points for the assist.  Aroa Ramos-Galvez made her debut on the event, posting 4.15 points.  Poradizisz and Bollmann also performed on the unevens for Coldwater.

Special guest speaker Michael Cole shares his story with those in attendance at Saturday's 13th annual Stick It for a Cure Gymnastics Invite.
Special guest speaker Michael Cole shares his story with those in attendance at Saturday's 13th annual Stick It for a Cure Gymnastics Invite.

The theme of the meet is to “stick” your routines and three Cardinals did just that on the balance beam, with many more sticking their landings for the third event of the day. Charlotte Calhoun had her most impressive beam rotation of her career with a nearly flawless routine. The junior phenom posted a personal best of 9.4, earning first place honors for the competition in division 2. Kiraly Schoenauer posted 7.925 points for Coldwater for her balance beam performance. Freshman newcomers Sophia Gruner (7.475) and Macy Poradizisz (7.4) went back to back on the event, both earning Regional qualifying scores. It was the second mark for Gruner and the first qualifier for Poradizisz. Bollmann was shy of the Regional mark, but continues to improve on the event. The exchange student introduced a cartwheel to her routine and earned 7.125 points for her efforts. Dudek performed her superior flight skill, but fell during the routine, earning 7.025 points for her efforts and helping the team to a solid event total of 31.925 points. Ramos - Galvez tied her teammate Carly Krzyzanski at 6.75 points,with both Cardinals “sticking” their routines.  It was a personal best mark for both gymnasts as a reward for their efforts.  McFarland and Teagan Rabideau earned 6.65 and 6.55 respectively. It was a personal record for the senior Rabideau at the Stick It meet.  Next in line was Halle Towers with 6.45 points on the beam.

The culminating event and final rotation for Coldwater was the floor exercise with the team putting together their highest event total of the season at 34.75 points. Once again Calhoun posted a personal best score of 9.275 points as she continues to polish her new routine. The gymnast introduced a new advanced high superior tumbling element to boost her score and earn a 7th place finish for Division 2. Dudek continues to push her level of difficulty on the floor and earned 8.625 points for her routine, finishing in sixth place (D1). Schoenauer’s consistency and poise on the event earned 8.475 points for her routine while Sofia Gruner’s graceful dance choreography combined with new tumbling elements were just the right combination for a personal best of 8.375 points.  Klara-Sophie Bollmann has been working hard in the gym upgrading her tumbling skills and was rewarded with 7.525 on the floor. Poradzisz and Krzyzanski each performed for Coldwater on the event, along with Tegan Rabideau, who earned a personal best at 6.65.

The teams at Saturday's Stick It for a Cure Gymnastics Invite listen to the guest speakers discussing the importance of the event and what it does for the community
The teams at Saturday's Stick It for a Cure Gymnastics Invite listen to the guest speakers discussing the importance of the event and what it does for the community

The all-around tallies for the competition placed Coldwater’s Calhoun on the top of the podium. With three personal bests in her events, the junior posted a career best all-around score of 36.275 points. She is the first Cardinal in the history of the Stick It competition to claim the top prize overall.

In Division 1, Dudek finished in fourth place at 32.325 points. Kiraly Schoenauer (D2) finished in the top 25 for her tally of 32.45 points (24th). Sophia Gruner completed her first Stick It meet in 35th, after tallying her personal best total of 28.1 points. Out of a field of 100 competitors, Poradzisz finished 39th, followed by Bollman in 42nd. Teagan Rabideau collected a personal record for her all-around score of 25.00 points.

The Cardinal gymnasts would like to thank the committee and their families for making the event a success.  A special thanks to the following:  Janet Kahler, Scott and Brianna Poradzisz, Jean and Eric Goodwin, Shelly Dudek, Mark and Louise Crist, Phil Herman, Diane Harmon, Cori Schoenauer, Amber Adkins, Danielle Kelly, and so many more!  Sincere gratitude and appreciation to the following sponsors:

Michigan Gas Utilities; WalMart Distribution Center; Johnny’s Markets; The Shawn Taber Family; Coldwater Sintered Metal Products; ProMedica Coldwater Foot & Ankle Orthopedics; Dr. Matthew Christopher; Great Lakes Chiropractic; Integrity Apparel; Southern Michigan Gymnastics; Willowbrook Interiors; Allure Salon; Crist Rentals; Century Bank and Trust; Longstreet Living; Darling Ingredients; Biggby; First Choice Real Estate; Kona Ice; Tasteful Creations; Tibbits; Tilted Tulip; Palmer Lake Lodges; Union Pallet; Edward Jones; Patten’s Michigan Monument Company; Black Diamond Productions ; AND MANY MORE!!!

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Coldwater's 13th annual Stick it for a Cure Gymnastics meet a huge success