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On the Beam
Lydia Taft goes airborne on the balance beam in a recent competition for the Woodstock Academy Centaurs gymnastics team. Woodstock Academy photo.
Halfway through the season, Woodstock Academy senior Lydia Taft is still not 100 percent as of yet.
Her opponents, however, may question that.
The gymnast has been very consistent and led the Centaurs to their fifth consecutive victory Jan. 16, 144.1 – 125.7 over Norwich Free Academy at Thames Valley Gymnastics.
“It’s really awesome to have her back,” coach Kasey Tocchio said of the senior.
Taft missed all but one meet, the New England championship, last season due to back troubles.
“She is beyond hungry,” Tocchio said. “This is her senior year and for her to come back right where she left off just means the absolute world to her.”
Tocchio said Taft still is doing alternative training because of her back to keep her in the best shape possible and try to get her through the entire season.
“What she is doing right now is just remarkable,” Tocchio said.
Taft won the All-Around with a 36.95 total against the Wildcats. She also claimed first place in the beam (9.5) and the floor (9.4); was second in the bars (9.0) and tied for third with teammate Emily Arters (9.05) in the vault.
“I’m really excited about where she is at. I wouldn’t say shocked because I knew she had it in her. I’m just super-proud of how far she has come,” Tocchio said.
Taft is also not blowing away her teammates.
Fellow senior Ali Crescimanno was right behind her in Norwich with a 36.35.
Crescimanno was first in the bars (9.5) and tied Putnam’s Maggie McKeon for first in the vault (9.4). The Killingly-Putnam-Tourtellotte cooperative also competed against NFA and posted a 132.2-125.7 win over the Wildcats.
Tocchio said the interior competition is probably even more important than competition from the outside because of the consistency of the push between Taft and Crescimanno.
“It helps both of them. It’s kind of like when me and Justine (Basley) competed (at Killingly), it’s so awesome to have a teammate that is so close to you that way that you just keep pushing one another which is what they do and it helps the rest of our all-around performers; Jenna (Davidson), Maddie (Grube), and Abby (Vaida),” Tocchio said.
Vaida finished second in the beam (8.85) and third on the floor (9.2) in Norwich. Vaida provided some needed points in the floor exercise last season, but Tocchio said she has improved in the other three events this season as well. “With her and Maddie hitting, it just means the team score just keeps creeping up,” Tocchio said.
Arters has been doing a new vault which has also given the Centaurs’ point total a boost.
The Centaurs still have to improve a bit as the tournament season approaches. Their 144.1 score was not the best of the season. That occurred in their first meet at home against NFA when the Centaurs posted a 146.85 total.
“That first mark gave us a lot of hope as to how high we could go this year,” Tocchio said. “We feel we can get into the high 140s. We’re still making little mistakes here-and-there. We were off on beam last night which we haven’t been all season. There is potential to keep growing.”
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy
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