After many competitions and practices, the gymnastics season has come to an end. The gymnastics program at Annandale is less appreciated, but it is starting to become more popular. Last year, the team only consisted of one member. This year, there were five.

AHS does not have a  coach, so the team practices at Lake Braddock and uses their coach for instruction. They use their facilities as well.

Most of the team members joined because they wanted to experience a different sport than they were used to.

“I decided to join because I wanted to really challenge myself because it’s something I’ve never done before.” said sophomore Nicole Uria.

Uria, like many of the team members, was new to the sport. Despite the challenging circumstances, she was still able to excel this season and improve her skills while still having fun.

“All of us picked up the skills and competed with girls who had lots of experience where some of us had none,” Uria said, “but we managed to learn throughout the season as well as improve ourselves.”

Because there were only five girls on the team, they encouraged each other throughout the season.

Gymnastics was a great way for the members to create new friends within the team. With such a small team, it was important for them to support each other at practices and competitions.

“We got along well and cheered each other on at meets and gave each other constructive criticism to build upon our skills.” said junior Mollie Valorose.

The gymnastics program hopes to expand and recruit more members. next year, and continue to improve.