Kamiakin gymnastics team seeks state three-peat

The Kamiakin High School gymnastics team lives for this time of year.

The Braves return this week to the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall, where they will look to extend their recent state dynasty.

Kamiakin has won the past two Class 1A/2A/3A team titles and three of the past five, winning in 2011 and finishing second to Enumclaw in 2013.

Halley Gillen, who joined the team last season before the Braves won their second consecutive title, embraces the chance to do it one more time.

“This year I feel like I’m less stressed out about it because I know how much of a fun experience it is, and it is my senior year,” she said.

When freshmen Piper Polanik and Abby Winstead were in middle school, they were excited about competing for the Braves after watching their older sisters win state championships at Kamiakin.

“We were like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna be a good team; we’re gonna rock it,’ ” Polanik recalled. “I had it all planned it out.”

Winstead’s sister Ellie graduated last year, but Polanik and her sister Saige, a senior, will be a part of the Braves’ three-peat attempt during Friday’s team competition.

“I think we can do it,” Piper said. “We’ve been to so many of these. It’s just like, ‘It’s another one.’ It’s like being in club (gymnastics) — let’s just go to the next meet, let’s keep pushing ourselves and see what we can do.”

The Braves’ confidence was solidified at last weekend’s 3A regional meet in Spokane. Battling through injuries and some uncharacteristic falls, Kamiakin beat Mt. Spokane for the team title by almost five points — a substantial margin in gymnastics.

“They still hung in there and did their best even after some costly errors,” coach Sarah Garrett said. “So I’m just looking for those to clean up, and then our team score will be even higher than 176 at state.”

The Braves want to improve on the score of 181.7 that earned them the 2014 team title.

Garrett, who has coached at Kamiakin since 1999, believes this group is capable of doing it.

“It’s isn’t about whether we win or not — and I try to give this to the girls — it’s about bettering themselves,” Garrett said. “I really strive to make them understand that even though we are a team, they’re helping their team by getting better.”

And state seems to bring out the best in the Braves.

▪ Southridge also could be in the mix for titles this weekend.

Makayla Hui enters as the 3A regional all-around champion. Fellow freshman Mackinley Morgan is set to compete on bars, beam and vault. Sophomore Allison Huske will be on vault.

Hui will try to become the Suns’ first state all-around champion since Kiya Bjorge won as a freshman in 2012. Bjorge finished her high school career with seven individual state titles.

This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 8:25 PM with the headline "Kamiakin gymnastics team seeks state three-peat."