Fun's a key to success for Hudson High girls' gymnastics team
“Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” that classic Cyndi Lauper song from the early 1980s, was the favorite tune played during floor routines performed by the senior captains of Hudson High’s gymnastics team this winter.
And, looking back on their final high school season, Chiara Sarkis, Kylee Dobeck, Autumn Garceau and Lina Fossile cherished all the fun they had under the guidance of their first-year coach Kaitlyn Rouleau.
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“I loved being part of this team,” said Sarkis, who noted the captains’ preference for the familiar Lauper melody, without the familiar lyrics, of course. “We had lots of enthusiasm, our new coach was amazing and so supportive, and we worked very hard. It all paid off.”
The Hawks went 4-4 in dual meets, defeating both Westboro and Shrewsbury twice before finishing fourth in the Mid-Wach League Meet.
“We had our share of wins and our losses came in very close meets,” said the 22-year-old Rouleau, from Clinton, who began competing in gymnastics at an early age and later coaching in her hometown at Turners Gymnastics.
Rouleau, who came from a background in elite USA Gymnastics, easily made the transition to high school coaching and its different set of rules.
“In USA Gymnastics, you have a specific skills set that you must perform, but in high schoo,l you can add in skills and make them your own to earn bonus points,” said Rouleau, a 2021 Fitchburg State University graduate who was a competitive cheerleader for the Falcons and also began a club gymnastics team at the university.
“I had awesome captains for my first year here at Hudson,” Rouleau said. “I’ve known Kiley and Autumn since they were tiny gymnasts. They’re both from Clinton. Autumn is so supportive of everyone, and Kiley makes everyone laugh. She’s the kid you go to when you need a pick me up.”
Both Garceau and Dobeck earned scores of 9 and above on the balance beam this season.
“Chiara was like our team mom, always organized and making sure everyone was where they were supposed to be," Rouleau added, "and Lina, well, in addition to being excellent on the vault, she was the loudest in supporting the other girls in their routines.”
Fossile, asked to put her love for gymnastics in words, said, “The beauty of the sport is doing something that is hard both physically and mentally. And making it look easy. Try doing a back tuck on a beam that’s only four inches wide and four feet off the ground.” She then added with a laugh, “That’s not normal.”
Rouleau said she will definitely miss her four senior captains, but she’s encouraged by the return of the rest of the squad for next year, and that includes talented freshman Jennifer Cassidy, a star on the beam and uneven bars, and Alyssa Davis, a talented, all-around specialist.
—Contact Jay Gearan at sports@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @tgsports.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Fun's a key to success for Hudson High girls' gymnastics team
