Coldwater's Calhoun takes gold on Uneven Bars, Cardinals notch regional mark at Plymouth Canton
CANTON, MI. — The Coldwater Cardinal gymnastics team traveled to Plymouth Canton on Saturday for what is known as the “Pre state meet”, with 18 schools from throughout the states competing in the invitational, including Escanaba, Bloomfield Hills, Farmington, Northville, and the three Plymouth schools. Coldwater traveled a small flock of gymnasts in an effort to rest and recuperate some of their team members.
Rockford (141.7) claimed the top honors, continuing to defend their 2022 state title but it was a close call with Farmington United coming in second by a margin of just 0.475. Plymouth Salem and Plymouth Canton finished in third and fourth place respectively, followed by Hartland High. Coldwater posted their sixth straight team Regional qualifying score with the small squad, tallying 126.045 for sixteenth place.
The biggest surprise and highlight of the day came from junior Charlotte Calhoun as the Cardinal powerhouse gymnast finished on the top of the podium in the uneven bars, taking top honors in Division 2 in a field of more than 130 competitors.
“What an amazing accomplishment,” exclaimed Coldwater head coach Kim Nichols. “I knew she had a chance of finishing in the medals, but I don’t think any of us expected her to claim the gold medal. It was incredibly exciting.”
Coldwater started out the long day of competition on the vault where the team tallied 32.525 points. Sophomore Kiraly Schoenauer led the team with her efforts at 8.4 followed by senior Randi Dudek who earned 8.35 points. Charlotte Calhoun improved upon her new vault, scoring 8.1 on the event while newcomers Klara-Sophie Bollmann and Macy Poradisz also represented the Cardinals on the vault scoring 7.675 and 7.3 respectively.
On the uneven bars, the Cardinals tallied a solid 29.875 points. Charlotte Calhoun led the contingent with a personal best mark of 9.1 points.
“This is the kind of meet where the judges are getting a first look at some of the state finalist contenders,” quoted Nichols. ”I was just very pleased to see Charlotte representing good quality gymnastics at such a high caliber meet after we finished on the bars. Of course, I had no idea of the outcome at that point. She has definitely made her mark on the bars.”
Kiraly Schoenauer and Randi Dudek went back to back for Coldwater with their efforts at 8.05 and 8.0. Schoenauer demonstrated her potential for success in D2 competition, placing just outside the medals by a margin of 0.05 for 11th place. Macy Poradzisz rounded out the lineup for the bars, contributing to the team’s tally.
After more than four hours of competition, the gymnasts struggled on the beam, posting only 29.695 points. The combination of several factors impacted the gymnasts on the event that requires a high level of mental focus.
“We are trying a lot of new and more difficult skills on the beam and the girls do not yet have the confidence to maintain their focus up there yet,” explained Coach Nichols. “When you combine that with the intimidating competition atmosphere, it’s very challenging to maintain composure on the beam. I am confident, however, that things will come together as they continue to get more experience with these higher level skills.”
Charlotte Calhoun led the squad with her mark of 8.4 points after falling during the routine although she was successful in landing her advanced bonus high superior dismount. Kiraly Schoenauer earned 7.55 points while also falling during her routine. Both gymnasts earned individual qualifying scores. Randi Dudek finished just below the regional mark, earning 7.25 points on the beam. She needs just one more score for the postseason berth. Danish exchange student Klara-Sophie Bollmann introduced two new high superior skills on the beam. Her efforts earned 6.495 points for Coldwater and she will look to polish the routine in the coming weeks.
The Cardinals came back to finish the meet in high fashion, tallying their highest event total of the day at 33.95 points on the floor exercise. Calhoun steadily improved with her new floor choreography and earned a season best score of 9.175 points, placing 9th on the event. Schoenauer and Dudek went back to back with 8.55 and 8.5 respectively. Dudek performed her advanced high superior tumbling skill, but failed to stay on her feet.
“The score was encouraging when you see the big picture. When she perfects the skill, Randi should see scores in the nines,” noted Nichols. Macy Poradzisz was next in line for Coldwater, earning 7.725 points, just shy of the 7.8 individual qualifying mark. Klara-Sofie Bollmann posted a personal best of 7.55 points for her efforts on the floor.
At the end of the day, Charlotte Calhoun finished fifth on the podium with her All-Around score of 34.775 points while teammate Kiraly Schoenauer collected a total of 32.55 points. Randi Dudek earned 32.1 points for her combined total effort. Both gymnasts show very solid and consistent All-Around scores for this point in the season. Freshman Macy Poradisz earned 24.675 points for her personal best all-around score of the season.
Coldwater will travel to Haslett on Wednesday for a dual competition before their big home invite on Saturday. The team will be making final preparations throughout the week as they host their 13th annual Stick It For a Cure on Saturday. The Cardinals are expecting to have twelve schools participating and over 160 gymnasts competing. The public is encouraged to attend the event with the competition beginning at 9:30 and finishing approximately 4:30. The raffle will be ongoing throughout the meet and the silent auction running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Proceeds from the event are dedicated to comfort care for the cancer patients of Branch County.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Coldwater's Calhoun takes gold on Uneven Bars, Cardinals notch regional mark at Plymouth Canton
