Mead and Shadle Park will represent the GSL at the 4A state gymnastics meet for the second straight year.

Unfortunately for the rest of the state, both have another year of experience this time around.

After Mead finished fourth and Shadle fifth in last year’s state tournament, both teams returned the bulk of their squads and appear to be improving on the way into this year’s tournament, today and Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.

Mead, the GSL, district and regional champions, posted the 4A’s highest team score in last week’s regionals. The Panthers’ total of 175.375 outdistanced Woodinville by .05 and Rogers (Puyallup) by .35.

The GSL has not had a big-school champion in gymnastics since Shadle Park in 1971, and Ferris was the last to finish in the top two, in 1999.

Shadle has been steadily improving as well, with a score of 173.075 at regionals its best of the year by two points.

J.D. Larson, correspondent