Eighth-graders Sack, Pergola make states
Jordan Sack of Plainview JFK performs her balance beam routine during the Nassau individual championships and state qualifiers at Hicksville High School. (Feb. 15, 2011) Credit: James Escher
Jordan Sack and Serena Pergola were 4 when they started competing together at Farmingdale Gymnastics Club. Come March 5, they'll do it again at the state tournament in Albany.
It's a neat little connection, but it's not as if 4 years old was all that long ago: the Winter Olympics were in Salt Lake City and George W. Bush was president. It was 2002 and, for most of the spectators watching the Nassau state qualifier at Hicksville, it seemed like last week.
See, if there's one way to classify this new-look Nassau state team - the one without 2010 standouts Allison Osmundsen and Jenny Kaufman, upperclassmen who did not compete this year - it's young; very, very young. Talented, too.
Sack and Pergola, both eighth-graders, joined ninth-grader Sarah Ciresi as the top three all-around at the county state qualifier Tuesday. Sack, of Plainview, notched a tournament-high 9.0 on bars and took the top spot with a 35.225, while Pergola, of Bethpage, grabbed second with a 34.825. Ciresi, also of Bethpage, finished with a 34.750.
Ciresi shined on a well-executed tsuk on vault for a 9.025, while Pergola had a meet-high 9.3 on beam. Sack is making a return appearance to states after qualifying on vault last year.
"It's so unexpected," said Pergola, who's making her first trip to the big show. "It's rewarding. Every meet, I always believed in myself."
That belief kept her going when she took a spill on bars after not being able to finish her warm-up. She got back up, finished her routine and earned an 8.3. "You have to believe in yourself, no matter what," she said.
As for being so young, Sack said it could be a boon. "It's really easy," she said of the team chemistry. "Everyone is so respectful. It will work out fine."
Nassau team coach Kim Rhatigan likes to hear that sort of talk. "I've got a great mix," she said. "There are some veterans like Erin [Roach] and Lauren [Cecco] and some kids who are young, fresh and talented."
Although the all-around spots are full of youngsters, the specialist positions provide maturity. Roach, of Bethpage, and Cecco, of Hicksville, are making return appearances on bars, and Wantagh's Lindsay Heney, who qualified last year but did not compete, grabbed a spot on floor.
Massapequa's Jessica Romano and Kate Wall will compete on vault, along with Sewanhaka's Stephanie Jennings. Oceanside's Cheyenne Blumberg will compete on bars, while Jennings, Plainview's Melissa Kropf and Hewlett's Ali Bezalel will take on beam. Bezalel and Kropf will also represent on floor.
