Curry leads Niwot past Loveland

Niwot gymnastics picked up its second win of the jam-packed 2021 season with a 169-157 victory over conference foe Loveland on March 27. Led by defending Class 4A all-around champion Mia Curry, Niwot gymnasts posted the top two scores in floor, bars, and beam and clinched two of the three top spots in the all-around standings. Afterwards, head coach Marisa Purcell said that the "little things" are coming together for the Cougars, but overcoming the long layoff continues to be a challenge.

"We're coming off of a year and a half of not competing to needing to be ready in a very short amount of time," she said, referring to the accelerated 2021 schedule, which has Niwot competing in six meets in two weeks, after a short pre-season. "I'm sure across the state every team is trying to figure out how to put everything together and compete so that they're getting the endurance and they're getting stronger."

Endurance and strength still seem to be an issue for the Cougars, especially on the uneven bars and balance beam, which saw a lot of falls from both teams. But Purcell is seeing progress in floor routines, and the vault also remains a strong event for Niwot.

"Arms and bodies are tired, and you can see that's where it's taking the biggest toll," she said. "It's work in progress."

There were a number of bright spots for Niwot on the day, Olivia Sroka's return and Curry's win chief among them. Joining Curry in the all-round top three was sophomore Ava Silverstein, who also had a top score in the uneven bars. Freshman Grace Gutierrez also posted second-place scores, on the beam, and on the floor. The floor event also saw a much-improved performance from sophomore Nia Terrell, whose score jumped to 8.50 from 7.75 the week before.

'We worked really hard with her specifically with her jumps and just controlling everything," Purcell said. "And she performed today. It really showed."

Overall, Purcell is pleased with her team's progress so far, and is expecting to see continuing improvement as the Cougars race to the regional meet on April 15. Assuming her gymnasts are able to avoid strains and injuries with so little time to rest between competitions.

"We worry about injuries, because it's so much," Purcell said. "For the girls needing to compete in four out of six meets, they have to compete pretty much all of them. And in doing that, we do get a little bit concerned about their bodies and trying to take care of themselves on their off days. And still, resting is definitely a concern."

Niwot gymnastics will be back in action on March 31 for a home meet aga