Coyote varsity B gymnast Carrie Farrell performs a scale on the balance beam. She battled an injured back throughout the gymnastics meet.

Photo by: Tyler Takeda

Although the Madera Coyotes and the Madera South Stallions weren't able to field full teams, the first gymnastics meet o the season began by making history.

By marching out to open the meet, head coach Tammi Britton and her six junior varsity gymnasts became members of the first ever Madera South Stallions gymnastics team. Marissa Simen also won the first Stallion ribbon with two top sixes and a sixth place in the all-around.

The varsity sister act coaching combo of Katelyn and Megan Verduzco also fielded the first Madera Coyote gymnastics team without Britton as the head coach. They also looked in their same house to bring in another gymnast, their sister Molly.

Molly, in her first gymnastics meet after playing soccer and basketball for most of her athletic career, placed third in the junior varsity all-around.

The meet was one of the most competitive in a few years. Although the meet was a scheduled triangular meet between Madera South, Madera and Buchanan, gymnasts from Yosemite, Liberty- Madera Ranchos, Central and Roosevelt also competed for scores and ribbons.

The lone varsity gymnast, Coyote Carrie Farrell, battled a painful back injury to place third on the uneven bars with an 8.5, the highest score of meet for a Madera and Madera South gymnast. Farrell also placed sixth on the vault with an 8.3.

In the junior varsity competition, Katie Roberson was the highest scorer for the Coyotes. She received an all-around score of 29.3 to place second in the junior varsity all-around. Her 7.6 on the balance beam was the highest score of the junior varsity competition. She also placed second on the bars with an 8.0, fourth on the floor exercises and fifth on the vault.

Verduzco's highest score of the meet cam on the vault, where she scored a 7.5. She placed second on the balance beam and sixth on the floor exercises and uneven bars.

Cortney Beakes was just one-tenth of a point behind Verduzco for fourth in the all-around. She received two third place ribbons with a 7.85 on the uneven bars and a 6.6 on the beam. Beakes also placed fifth on the floor.

Simen placed second on the floor exercises with a 6.95, third on the vault with a 7.75 and sixth in the all-around.

Serena Azevedo also received ribbons for the Stallions. She placed sixth on the vault with a 7.6 and fifth on the bars with a 7.15.

Liberty junior varsity gymnast Shannon Shulte picked up two fourth place ribbons. She scored a 7.7 on the vault and a 7.65 on the uneven bars.

Yosemite varsity-B gymnast, Kristen Brimage, placed first in the all-around competition. Her score of 35.85 outpaced six other gymnasts in Varsity B. She also received first place ribbons on the floor exercises with a 9.05, the highest score any Varsity B gymnast received in the meet, and the uneven bars with an 8.7. Brimage also scored an 8.6 on the balance beam and an 8.5 on the vault to receive second place ribbons.