Sports roundup – The Martha’s Vineyard Times

Young gymnasts put their skills to the test

A new generation of gymnasts are coming into their own on Martha’s Vineyard.

On April 6, Island Gymnastics held its first in-house meet since before the pandemic, with close to 25 girls ages 6 to 14 showing off their skills on the balance beam, bars, vault, and floor.

Prior to the event, Island Gymnastics director Beth Goodell said that her students saw the trophies and banners from years past, and “begged” her to organize the competition.

“I’ve been coaching gymnastics for 48 years, and taken both boys and girls to regionals and nationals,” Goodell said. “During the pandemic, we had to close, and everyone graduated or took up other sports. Since then, it’s been like starting over — I get to watch these girls grow up in the gym.”

Dubbed the “Wings and Springs” In-House Gymnastics meet, the girls were organized into three teams based on their age group and experience level. It was standing-room-only for the 100-plus family members in attendance.

Team Bronze A (ages 9-12), represented by Emanuella Aguilar, Gabriela Barros, Penelope Carter, Brielle Cortez, Jessica DaRocha, Sophia Gomes, Estelle Mason, and Bianca da Silva, won first place, with a total score of 105.85 points.

In second place was Team Silver (ages 10-14), represented by trio Ruby Russell, Kinsley Tarter, and Maria Eduardo Xavier, with a total score of 103.25 points.

Team Bronze B (ages 6-8) finished third, with a total score of 99.9 points. They were represented by Kira DeBettencourt, Abella Jimenez, Eilish Mahoney, Avery Moore, Alice Oliveira, Meghan Resendes, Makayla Ribero, J.J. Sauer, Zuzu Sauer, Deirdre Scott, and Kaya Tucker.

“We ran it like we would any other competition, with judges and everything,” Goodell said. “It was eye-opening for so many of them. They got to see how gymnastics is also a team sport, and it made them hungry for next year. I love this group; they are so supportive of each other.”

Parents and coaches at Island Gymnastics are hoping to bring the girls to off-Island competitions in the future, considering how much of a success the meet was.

“It was so exciting for the girls to feel like real gymnasts — to see value in what they are working at,” said Ashley Tarter, mother of Kinsley Tarter. “My daughter is most confident and most herself doing gymnastics.”

Boys tennis dominates Nauset, Monomoy

Even after graduating three of their starting seven this offseason, the MVRHS boys tennis team has picked up where it left off last spring, defeating Monomoy and now Nauset, 5-0 apiece.

The Vineyarders went 17-3 last season — winning 11 matches 5-0 — and on Tuesday afternoon, the Vineyarders won four of their five matches in Nauset in just two sets.

In singles, junior Zak Potter won 6-1, 6-2; junior Caleb Dubin came back to win his final two sets 7-6, 7-5; and junior Kert Kleeman cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 victory.

Meanwhile, in first doubles, juniors Kyle Levy and Otis Forrester overpowered Nauset, 6-1, 6-3, and in second doubles, sophomore Tommy Flynn and junior Henry Wansiewicz rounded things out with a 6-0, 6-3 victory.

“They look great. They’re all really good friends on and off the court,” MVRHS head Coach Nicole Macy said. “They spent a lot of time at Vineyard Family Tennis this off-season, and are coming into this season right where we left off. The doubles teams have good chemistry.”

The Vineyarders have a busy week ahead of them, hosting Dennis-Yarmouth on Friday at 3 pm, Nantucket on Saturday at 12:30 pm, and Sharon on Monday at 3 pm.

MVRHS sailors handle Nantucket, prepare for postseason

Similar to the MVRHS boys tennis team, the Vineyard sailing team only returned one varsity starter this season, but has still manufactured an 11-7 record for itself — including a comfortable victory over Nantucket this Tuesday.

Without much time to warm up, MVRHS dropped the first three-versus-three team race to Nantucket in Barnstable, but roared back to win the next three races handily. 

Outmatching Nantucket’s raw boat speed, the Vineyard finished first, second, and fifth in all three victories, with senior Peter Miller and sophomore Walker Brescia manning the “kill boat” in the back to disrupt Nantucket’s flow and help cushion MVRHS’ leads.

Up top, sophomore crewmen Nick Merriam and Will Simmons took turns racing alongside senior driver Simon Hammarlund, and sophomore Pickle Eville raced with senior driver Lyla Solway all afternoon.

“Nantucket’s a good team. That was definitely a win we wanted to pick off,” MVRHS head Coach Andrew Burr said. “We executed first. There was a perfect breeze — it was a good, fun day.”

The Vineyard is currently ranked 18th in New England, and needs to move up to at least 15th if it wants to qualify for the New England Schools Sailing Association (NESSA) team racing championship — also known as “the Terk” — on May 18 and 19 in Rhode Island.

The victory over No. 23 Nantucket will help MVRHS’ cause, and the Vineyarders will also need to perform well against Sharon away and Old Rochester Regional away on the 27th and 30th, respectively.

“We’re always trying to make the postseason, every year,” Burr said. “We lost some heartbreakers earlier in the season, but these guys should be proud. We had a fantastic turnout of new kids this year — for the group we’re coaching, it’s pretty amazing what they’ve accomplished.”

MVRHS will host summer sports clinics

MVRHS has announced it will be running sports clinics for Island youth this summer, including soccer, field hockey, football, and girls basketball.

There are five weeklong soccer sessions in June, July, and August for boys and girls ages 5 to 13. Most sessions will take place from 9 am to noon, and will be directed by Garry Metters.

There will be three two-day field hockey sessions, on July 6-8, 20-22, and 27-29. The sessions will run from 9 to 11 am, and will be coordinated by Liane Dixon.

Last, there will be one girls basketball clinic running from June 24 to 28 (9 am to noon) for ages 9 to 14, and one noncontact football clinic, running from August 5 to 9 (5:30 pm to 7:30 pm) for grades 5 through 8. 

Girls basketball will be directed by Mary Korba, and football will be directed by Timothy Millerick.

For more information about all clinics, contact Korba at mary.korba@mvyps.org, or via phone at 518-369-6224.