Different Perspectives Saxons Bask In Last Season’S Championship; Tigers Look To Improve

Thu., Nov. 25, 1999

By Janie McCauley janiem@spokesman.com

The Ferris High gymnastics team has been waiting for this.

The Saxons are the defending Greater Spokane League champion. They won district and regionals and placed second in the State 4A meet last spring.

And they’re loving starting this season on top, said senior Ivy Plewman.

They’re doing it with a new coach. Jenne Kissell succeeds Bill Christianson, who retired.

“It’s wonderful,” Plewman said of being a favorite. “We’ve been waiting for it for years.

“We’re finally the ones being watched. We’re hoping we can handle it well and live up to it.”

Michele Peterson begins her second season as head coach at Lewis and Clark and, with five gymnasts with club experience, she expects the Tigers to improve on last year’s last-place GSL finish.

Ferris, 23-1 in league last season, will receive an early test with ‘99 GSL runner-up Central Valley in the first meet of the season, on Dec. 9 at 6:30 p.m. at CV. LC will be at North Central for its opener at the same time.

Plewman said the Saxons have a chance to repeat last year’s success. But it will depend how well they can fill some big voids, she said.

Three of their top gymnasts graduated, including league, district and regional champion Gail Larsen. She placed second in state in the all-around competition.

Also gone are Kim George and Filicity Frederick.

“It’s looking really promising,” Plewman said. “It’s just a cool momentum we have going into this year.

“It’s going to be really fun to start with that.”

Kissell, 26, said she isn’t feeling any pressure. This will be her first season with high school gymnastics after 10 years of coaching club gymnastics.

She inherited a large crop of returners and a smart team. Ferris is the three-time state academic champion.

After the first two weeks of practice, Kissell had 27 turning out, and she said she’s impressed with the team’s depth. The junior varsity program is expected to be strong, too, she said.

“I didn’t know when I took this position that they had been the district champions and regional champions,” Kissell said. “I feel like they’re going to do what they’re going to do.

“It’s a great group of girls, and they’re working really hard. They’re receptive to my coaching.”

Kissell said freshman Heather Malott, who also does club gymnastics, could be one of the top in the league. It should be an entertaining season, the coach said, with talent spread evenly through the league.

LC looks to make strides

The Tigers have three returners in sophomores Katie Thomas and Annie Lyons and junior Briana Levitch.

Senior Aaron Templeton has returned to the team after competing in her freshman season.

For the second straight year, LC has a foreign exchange student. Ilka Conrad, a senior from Germany, must compete on junior varsity because of WIAA rules, but Peterson expects her to push the varsity in practice.

The five gymnasts on the team with club experience are sophomores Thomas and Liz Ransford and freshmen Valorie Darling, Elizabeth Hart and Kolbie Pearsall. Peterson tried to talk Ransford into turning out as a freshman, but she waited until this year to join the high school team.

Ransford was a club gymnast at Spokane Elite Gymnastics.

LC also has some inexperience with participants who have never done gymnastics before. That’s fine with Peterson.

Three girls are making the transition from ballet.

“They’re doing back handsprings now and are moving right along,” Peterson said. “It’s great. We will be a good team even if we’re not No. 1, which we probably won’t be.

“It’s no big deal. I’m concerned with helping them achieve their goals - their personal and athletic goals or whatever else they have.”

Peterson has been keeping plenty busy so far this season. On Oct. 21, she gave birth to her third child, daughter Brianna, and her team started practice Nov. 8.

The Tigers have a new assistant, Ferris graduate Cassandra Ensworth, who was coaching for the YWCA.

This sidebar appeared with the story: Gymnastics rosters

Ferris

Ivy Plewman senior

Lisa Clifton senior

Jennifer Gamelin senior

Colleen Early junior

Ashley Hilmes junior

Jennifer Miller sophomore

Alix Herr sophomore

Heather Malott freshman

Corrie Plewman freshman

Natalie Weinmeister freshman

Lewis and Clark

Katie Thomas sophomore

Annie Lyons sophomore

Briana Levitch junior

Liz Ransford sophomore

Kolbie Pearsall freshman

Valorie Darling freshman

Elizabeth Hart freshman

Cherah Swanson freshman

Jessica Miller junior

Aaron Templeton senior

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