The Foxes gymnastics team finished out the season with a handful of athletes who qualified individually for the WPIAL Class 3A championships. Junior Zoe Fitszimmons advanced on the vault, beam, and floor; sophomore Anneliese Pham made the cut for the floor event; and freshman Baustin Bitar performed on the vault and bars at the February 12 competition. Senior Claire Hamilton (vault) and freshman Riley Hourvitz (vault) also had season scores that qualified them to compete at WPIALs but were unable to participate.
While none of gymnasts made it to the podium this time, they all had extremely good performances and represented the Foxes well. Zoe was awarded an 8.85 out of a possible 10 points on the vault, her highest score of the entire season, and the judges gave her an 8.6 on both the beam and floor. Anneliese finished with an 8.0 for her floor routine, and Baustin scored an 8.575 on the vault and a 7.275 for her bars’ performance.
All three of the girls are multisport-athletes who excel in those areas as well. Zoe is a soccer and lacrosse player for the Foxes and is proud of what she has accomplished, even though she cannot participate year-round. Zoe was the consistent high scorer throughout the gymnastics season in all events.
“I am really happy with how I did,” says Zoe of her performances. “I got my best vault score all year with an 8.825. I’m not sure if people know about this, but there are three divisions in gymnastics, and last year I was on the better end of the silver division. If I was in that same division this year, I could have medaled with my scores, but I was moved up to the gold division. So, even though I didn’t medal, I think it was an awesome challenge being around better competition, and I feel like it was really my best meet all year.
“There were a lot of talented girls this year, and I saw some skills that I had never seen before in competition,” Zoe says. “Particularly on beam, I saw some tricks I never even thought to try, things like some front walkovers and some cool series dismounts. I would love to work on them next year and try to incorporate them into my program.”
Anneliese has an extensive background in gymnastics and dance and is a member of the Foxes’ cheer squad, too. She only returned to gymnastics last year after taking two years off. When she was 12, Anneliese suffered a severe elbow injury that could have ended her career and the success she was having at the regional and national levels. Slowly, she has returned to her previous form, and did a lot more tumbling in her floor routine than she normally does. She also created her entire routine on her own, with help from coach Nadine DeLeo.
“It definitely felt a lot more like a club competition than a normal high school meet,” says Baustin, who also golfs for the school team. “The high school meets are a lot more laid back and not as stressful, which is never a bad thing. My overall experience yesterday brought me back to when I used to compete in club before COVID, and I really enjoyed it. My coach, Nadine, also really helped with the anxiousness that usually comes with competing. There’s a lot of pressure to do well, especially when you make it that far, and I felt that support from my coach throughout the season. Overall, it was a great experience.”
“This was the best year for the team ever since I’ve been on it,” says Zoe. “The freshmen were really good and wanted to jump in and help wherever they could. They stepped in when we needed them, when in other years, we didn’t have the depth to do that.”
“This was the first time I have had so many freshmen,” says coach DeLeo. “They all have club experience and definitely brought energy to the team. It was great to see the girls of all ages working together and supporting and pushing each other.”
However, it was the veterans who provided the framework and leadership for the freshmen to follow. Hanna Essey, a senior multisport-athlete, added points for the team in the bars, beam, and floor, and junior Molly McNaughton showed promise on the vault. Sophomores Lila Valkanas (floor and beam), Ashley Barnett (floor), and Caitlyn Novak (floor) also added to the team’s strength and versatility.
In addition to Baustin and Riley, the group of freshmen painted a positive preview of the team’s potential over the next few years, including Regina Fitszimmons (floor), Adeline Kress (beam and floor), and Ella Stackhouse (bars, beam, and floor). Lilah Blyth showed promise on the beam and floor before sustaining a season-ending injury.
Perhaps Zoe, who has been involved with the sport since she was a child, best explains why she and her teammates have been so fulfilled by performing gymnastics.
“I’ve stuck with gymnastics, not only because of my love for the sport itself, but also because some of my closest friends were made through it,” says Zoe, who also credits her coach with supporting her all year and into the championships. “I love Fox Chapel Area gymnastics because of our closeness as a team and the support we all give each other.”