Westfield’s Taryn Hamel, seen here on the balance beam is one of the region’s top prospects to win an all-around championship Friday night. (Photo by Chris Putz)
WEST SECTIONAL – GYMNASTICS
Today, Chicopee Comp High School, 5:45 p.m.
The Westfield High School gymnastics team is dynamic … dynastic … dynamite.
On Friday night, the Westfield Bombers will look to blow up the competition, and, in the process, win their sixth straight sectional title and extend their unbeaten streak – regular season and postseason – to 77-0.
Brendan Whitman makes a move on the floor exercise for Westfield. (Photo by Chris Putz)
Westfield senior Taryn Hamel is one of the top gymnasts expected to compete for the all-around title. Gateway’s Sammy Dame is also in the mix.
“Taryn is capable of doing it,” Bombers’ coach Joanne Hewins said of Hamel possibly winning the individual title. “She really need to hit all four events.”
The key to Hamel’s success may lie on the uneven bars, the only event Westfield has struggled to post consistent scores in.
“She is scoring well on vault, beam, and floor,” Hewins said. “And the beam is the most challenging, the most unpredictable. I think this meet is going to come down to the team that stays on the beam.”
Hewins said she is concerned that her team’s streak through the last half-decade could be in jeopardy if her team relies solely on its past history.
“Minnechaug has close the gap,” she said. “They’re highly motivated. …The girls have to be on their game.”
