The varsity gymnastics team (3-0) defeated the La Costa Canyon Mavericks on Friday evening in the Olive Garden with a cumulative score of 201.775–167.650.

Before the meet, the team celebrated Senior Night, recognizing Arria Miller (12), Karina Shukla (12) and Audrey Ince (12) for their dedication to the program. The team also honored seniors Eva Hennick (12) of Mission Bay High School and Liliana Mendoza (12) of San Diego High School, who competed as independents and trained with the program since their freshman year. 

“Senior Night was so special,” Shukla said. “Coach Heather really made it a great night for us all. It was very special, very personalized. [It was] great to celebrate with the girls that I’ve been on the team with for, you know, four years [and] we’ve seen each other grow. I think it was a very successful senior night. We beat our rivals. I mean, I couldn’t have asked for a better night.”

Shukla explained that the team faced unexpected challenges leading up to the meet. Their usual training facility, The Rolling Company (TRC) Gymnastics in Solana Beach, was unavailable due to unannounced renovations following Spring Break. With limited access to equipment, the team was forced to adjust, primarily focusing on conditioning during their practices. 

According to assistant varsity gymnastics coach Ashley Young, “they only really got bars in, because we have bars here, and otherwise some conditioning, and that was it.”

“Overall, I think the meet went exceptional, considering that we had a big mix up with our practicing schedules and the gym that we usually practice at,” Shukla said. “I’m really proud of everyone. I think everyone really pulled it together and just did their best work for what we were given [and] we won by [a] landslide.”

Gymnastics meets follow a rotation format, with teams competing across four events: uneven bars, vault, balance beam and floor exercise. At the meet, the school’s team opened on bars before rotating through each event. Junior varsity competed first, followed by varsity. Each routine begins with a start value and is judged through deductions based on execution.

“[Starting on the bars] was great,” Shukla said. “It’s hard to shake the nerves at first, definitely on that first event. Bars is usually somewhere that we struggle, just because it’s pretty difficult, but we all nailed our routines. There [are] definitely some things that we could have cleaned up, but we definitely did really well.”

Shukla scored an 8.80 on bars, which is “a bit lower of what [she] usually gets.” Once all athletes finished their bar routines, they transitioned to the vault area.

“Personally, I did one of my best vaults of the season,” Shukla said. “Vault is definitely my hardest event …We all have been working really hard on our vaults, especially JV, a lot of them did their front handsprings today. And yeah, I was really proud of everyone.”  

Young agrees with Shukla, noting she “definitely saw some drastic improvements [on vault] … for a lot of the girls, from the last meet to this meet.”

Throughout the rotation, teammates encouraged one another from the sidelines with chants such as “Let’s do another one just like the other one, stick that vault, stick that vault, woo” as athletes prepared for their routines. 

During Ince’s warm-up on vault, she “had a little mishap and landed on [her backside] on the vault, and got a little bit injured from that.” Despite the mishap, she “pushed through, [and] still finished the competition well.”

The team then moved to the beam, where maintaining focus was key. Despite a few wobbles and falls, the Falcons remained composed and finished their routines strongly. 

“Honestly, I had a pretty big fall, but I was okay,” Shukla said. “Nothing was hurt or anything … I had to get back up, [and had] to finish the routine. [That is] just part of the sport.”  

“It’s really important, if you fall, to not let it shake the rest of your routine and to sort of brush it off,” Shukla said. “You know, take a second if you need it … Just because you fall once …  doesn’t mean that your chances of placing or your chances of doing well are over. Usually, when you fall, it’s about a five-tenths [of a point] deduction, depending on how bad the fall is … [and] if you can stay tight to the rest of your team, you still have a good chance of making it up. But I definitely think it’s hard for a lot of gymnasts to shake it off.”

The Falcons closed out the meet with their floor exercises. Shukla said she was especially proud of reaching a personal milestone, earning her first score above a nine on floor this season. 

“We all showed off our dance,” Shukla said. “I think cheering each other on really is an important part [of] helping us get through the routines. Because, again, [it’s] really tiring on the dead mat [because it] sort of absorbs all your energy. I’m very proud of us.”

Following the final rotation, both teams cleaned up the gym before results were announced, where Falcons and Mavericks gymnasts found out if they placed in each event. Gymnasts received medals for first through fifth place for each event at both the junior varsity and varsity levels, before final scores confirmed the Falcons’ overall victory.  

Beyond the results, gymnasts and coaches emphasized the “close-knit” and “supportive” environment that defines the team.

“I love my team, and I love hanging out with everybody, and I think that’s what makes this experience really fun,” second-year varsity gymnast Mira Panchal (10) said. 

Ince agreed, noting that the team’s inclusivity and welcoming environment define the program. 

“Everyone’s like, super supportive, everyone’s kind, funny [and] inclusive,” Ince said. “I’ve never felt like a moment where I feel excluded from anything. Like, everyone’s so kind here … on tryout day, everyone came up to me and introduced themselves. So I’ve always felt loved here, and it’s so nice to, like, be a part of this team.”

Young emphasized the team’s culture and the positive environment the athletes created. 

“I was blown away by how lovely they are to each other,” Young said. “They help each other. They’re really positive [and] … it’s a great team environment. I’ve just really enjoyed getting to know the girls, and kind of like helping them see their progress. I mean, it’s early, but throughout the first part of the season, it’s been awesome.”

Shukla reflected on how the team’s bond contributes to their success. 

“We’re all in the same boat,” Shukla said. “We’re all nervous, we’re all working hard for the week, and so that really gives us empathy and just a whole different type of support system that I don’t think you get from any other sport.”