Gymnastics: Ablin instrumental as Highand Park scores season high
by bill mclean Contributor January 24, 2012 8:46PM
Highland Park's Emily Ablin dismounts from the bars during a dual meet with Niles North meet on Thursday, Jan. 19th. | Dan Luedert~Sun-Times Media
Article Extras
Updated: February 27, 2012 8:12AM
It’s been a gain-gain situation.
Highland Park High School’s gymnastics team got a valuable, level-8 gymnast when sophomore Emily Ablin chose to perform in front of IHSA judges for the first time this winter.
What Ablin received?
“New friends,” said Giants coach Laura Koehler.
Ablin helped HP score a season-high 111.6 points in a loss to Niles North on Jan. 19. The Vikings scored 125.85 in the CSL North dual meet.
“Emily is a real clean, strong gymnast,” Koehler noted. “And she’s dedicated. She’s finding (high school gymnastics) is a nice environment, a different environment compared to club gymnastics. Emily has been a nice addition.”
Ablin spun to a team-best 8.5 on floor exercise, and scored 7.8 on balance beam and 7.6 on uneven bars.
But Ablin does more than just earn sturdy marks for the Giants. Her presence, at meets and practices, inspires teammates.
Executing back-to-back superior moves can be a contagious thing.
“And she helps her teammates,” Koehler said.
HP senior captain Emma Lev, a fourth-year gymnast, scored 7.5 on floor and 7.0 on beam against Niles North.
Her score, as a leader: 10.
“Emma has nice, positive relationships with her teammates,” Koehler said. “She works really hard — teammates notice that. She’s a natural leader … intelligent. She doesn’t do a lot of requirements (in events), but what she has, she does well. As an all-arounder, she has stepped up for us.”
Senior Ilyse Markrack, another captain, landed an 8.1 vault and displayed a punch-front-punch-front on floor (7.6) for the first time. The Giant competes on every event but bars.
“She has nice tumbling skills,” Koehler said. “Another hard worker.”
Watch list: Koehler touted a handful of young, promising Giants: freshmen Kendall Robbins and Ellie Maites, and sophomore Caroline Wippman. Koehler was ready to promote Robbins from the JV squad before the frosh suffered an ankle sprain last month.
The injury sidelined her for nearly four weeks.
“She’s coming along, working hard on her beam skills,” Koehler said.
Maites hurt her back before the start of the season. Look for her, Koehler said, to have a good shot at regularly throwing varsity routines next winter.
Wippman, a JV’er, has what every coach, in any sport, wants an athlete to have: a craving to reach the next level.
Unique arrangement: Koehler is HP’s head coach.
Jose Salazar, a first-year coach at HPHS, is serving as the Giants’ varsity coach.
“It’s something we wanted to try out this season,” Koehler said. “It’s working out well.”
On the schedule: HP competes in the CLS North conference meet at Deerfield, beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Koehler knows her crew is capable of scoring 118 points.
“We have that in us, if we hit our beam routines,” she said.
Koehler tweaked the format of practices late last week. Her Giants had to stick each routine before moving on to the next one.
Comments Click here to view or make a comment