Intent on state
A year ago today is one day Maria Alderman would like to forget.
That was the day the Central Valley senior gymnast went under the knife to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her knee.
So far, that injury is the only thing to slow Alderman down. Other than her rehabilitation time, Alderman’s high school career has been a study in full-speed ahead.
“It was so difficult for me after that surgery,” Alderman said, her words rushing out the same way she blasts through life. “I had to spend eight hours in bed during the day. That was so hard for me.”
The injury came while working on a new vault – a half twist onto the vaulting horse with a full twist off. As with everything in her life, Alderman attacked the challenge with gusto.
“I was supposed to make a full rotation, and I only made it about three-fourths of the way,” she explained. “My feet landed after three-quarters of a turn but the rest of my body was anticipating the full turn. I felt a loud pop in my knee and fell forward.
“My teammates all thought I’d smacked into the wall.”
As hard as it was for Alderman to be sidelined, it was just as hard for her teammates, who just missed earning a team berth in the state Class 4A gymnastics tournament.
For Alderman, it meant a missing a certain state berth. She’d qualified for state in two events as a freshman, three as a sophomore. Through it all, her spirit intensified.
“She’s just been my gem,” Central Valley coach Kim Brunelle said. “She’s the reason I’m still coaching. And now I can look forward to her little sister and Courtney Sexton’s little sister. Maria has a sister who’s an eighth-grader at North Pines who will be on the team next year. We had a camp here, and she attended. She’s just like Maria.”
When Alderman was a freshman, she burst on the Central Valley gymnastics scene with an abundance of energy and enthusiasm. Brunelle had just finished putting in 20 years as the Bears head coach and was eyeing retirement to watch her sons play football.
Alderman pleaded with the coach to stick around through her senior season. Brunelle now has her sights set on reaching her silver anniversary on the job and beyond.
Always a daredevil, Alderman has been known around Central Valley as much for her crashes as for her accomplishments. She’s managed at least one injury every season – from hyper-extended knees to her blown out knee last year.
This year’s injury came over the Christmas break.
“I was trying to do a straddle back over the uneven bars,” she explained. “I was supposed to catch the bar with my hands, and I missed. I missed catching myself with my feet, too. I caught the bar across my neck.”
The result was a case of whiplash.
“And it looked like I had a bunch of hickeys across my neck,” Alderman laughed. “I still have a few marks left, but I’m OK now.”
Alderman competed in an invitational meet in Issaquah with her Central Valley teammates – the first of her high school career.
“I had always been injured for the invitational meet,” she said. “I got hurt the day before we were supposed to leave my sophomore year, got hurt just ahead of it my sophomore year and missed everything last year.
“It was good for us to compete there and see just where we are with other teams. We’re in pretty good shape.”
Alderman was in good enough shape to lead the Bears in a hard-fought battle with University in a Greater Spokane League showdown at Central Valley Wednesday. The Titans, the defending GSL champions, won the meet, pulling out a 167.725-165.375 victory.
Alderman finished second all-around, less than a point behind top-scoring Tabitha Ward from U-Hi.
“It was a great meet, and it was so close the whole way,” Alderman said. “We came close to pulling it out, and we’re really looking forward to getting another shot at them down the road.”
“The way things work out, we still have three weeks to get ready for the regional meet,” Brunelle said. “We still have things to work into routines to get ready. We’re really looking forward to getting another shot at University.”
In the heat of battle, Alderman almost missed the fact that the meet was her last at home as a Lady Bear.
“She came up to me afterward and said, ‘Mrs. Brunelle, I almost forgot this was my last home meet – I didn’t even think about it until you called the seniors out. All I’ve been thinking about is getting to state.’ ” her coach said. “I told her that’s where she should be right now.”
The road to state will be tougher this year than at any time in GSL history. The realignment of schools has shifted the balance of power in state gymnastics to Class 3A from Class 4A. The only Class 4A school remaining in the Columbia Basin 4A league still competing in gymnastics is Richland. As a result, the region has been allocated just one team berth in the state meet, one all-around berth and three berths per event.
“Oh man, it’s going to be tough,” Alderman said. “But I am going to state. That’s all there is to it.”
Alderman plans to attend Utah Valley State College in Orem next year, where she intends to focus on her other passion: cheerleading.
“I’m as serious about cheerleading as I am about gymnastics,” she said. “You just don’t read about cheerleading on the sports pages.”