MHSA(Q&A): Grand Ledge Gymnastics' Duane Haring

March 15, 2012

Duane Haring first took over the Grand Ledge gymnastics program in 2002 because his daughter Allison and her friends kept asking. He left to work as an assistant coach at Michigan State from 2005-06 -- but realized Allison and her teammates were on to something.

Haring returned to the Comets in 2006-07, and last weekend led them to a record fifth-straight MHSAA team championship. Grand Ledge senior Christine Wilson and junior Sara Peltier also won the Division 1 and 2 individual titles, respectively, making it two straight seasons Grand Ledge has swept all three competitions.

This winter's Team Final came down to Grand Ledge's last apparatus, bars, after a below-expectations performance on vault. But just as they have for a decade, Haring's Comets came through when it counted. And although Allison graduated nearly a decade ago, Duane plans to keep the winning streak rolling for years to come.

What was the conversation you had between your third and four apparatus? How would you paraphrase it?

I was sitting with the parents and I told them I was really angry because we can vault. We're a good vaulting team. I think we're the best vaulting team in the state, and we didn't do it. So I told them I just have to go for a walk, because I can't talk to them right now. I started to walk way, and I thought, “Oh yes I can.” I dragged them off the bleachers, and went out in the hallway. Trust me; they were wide awake for bars. They understood, loud and clear.

I know what they can do. All year I've been waiting for them to do bars like that.

Are all these championships different for you, or are they the same?

They're all nerve-wracking. This is supposed to be fun ... (he laughed). It's nerve-wracking.

How do you get them to come back and want to do six?

We lit a fire under them when we first did this. The community loves these guys. Most communities talk about football and basketball, and they still do. But more and more people in Grand Ledge talk about gymnastics. Almost everywhere you go, how about that gymnastics team? They're 75-0 ... that's in the paper, and people pay attention to that. They're into their gymnastics team in Grand Ledge.

Does this make you happy you came back and did this a second time?

It does. I'm glad. It's a good fit for me.

Team Growing, Scores Rising as Bark River-Harris Continues to Build in 2nd Season

By John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com

January 6, 2025

ESCANABA —Bark River-Harris gymnastics is only a few meets into its second season as a program. But the Broncos are quickly and impressively building on last year’s debut.

Upper PeninsulaThe second-year program is growing – now offering cooperative program opportunities for athletes from Iron Mountain, Powers North Central, Escanaba Holy Name and Gladstone – and at the Dec. 7 Escanaba Elks Invitational scored a school-record 125.80 points, which also counted as the program’s first-ever team-qualifying score for Regional competition.

“Our level of competition has improved,” coach Alex Zelenak said. “We started last year with five girls, and now we have 10. This helps our depth, although it gets tricky when it gets down to the wire. You have to decide who’s going to some meets.

“We’re just trying to find our way in the early-season meets. We’re also trying to work on our skills and execution, for example staying on (balance) beam, and I think we’ve made some progress. What you put into it is what you get out of it.”

Iron Mountain junior Lucy Baumgartner returned from last year’s team and after qualifying for the 2024 Regionals in Division 2 all-around.

“This is pretty far away, but I’ve been doing gymnastics since I was 4 years old,” she said. “I sometimes drive myself or my mom will drive me over here, depending on the weather. Being able to do this last year really helped. I have a better idea what to expect.”

Baumgartner won vault at the Elks Invitational with a score of 9.2 and uneven bars with an 8.6, and was runner-up on beam (8.3) and in all-around (34.55). She said beam is probably her strongest event.

“I’ve always been pretty shaky, but gained confidence since last year,” she added. “I’m happy with the way the season is going. My floor (exercise) has been a little off because of my (sore) ankle, but it goes with the territory.”

“Lucy is outstanding and very dedicated,” Zelenak added. “Her execution is impeccable. We’re right there with them. I’m excited for the rest of the season.”

Gladstone senior Kristy Karl, a newcomer to the program, placed fourth in all-around (31.55) at Escanaba.

“That was quite a boost,” she said. “I’m waiting for the next qualifier (Friday at Linden). I had never competed in gymnastics before. It’s nice to have this opportunity. This has mostly been a learning experience, but our coach knows a lot.

“This is definitely a lot different from what I expected. Everybody is so quiet during your routines. They want everyone to succeed. It’s nice to be part of a team. I never expected this to happen.”

Karl believes floor exercise is her strongest event.

“That’s probably because I do competitive cheer for Gladstone,” she said. “I come from cheer practice, then my sister (Maggie) and I come here as much as we can. I definitely need to work on beam the most. It's mental. The beam is 42 inches off the floor. Sometimes you just have to do it. It’s the only way to overcome that mental block.”

Zelenak is happy with the team’s overall progress.

“Kristy got a qualifying score on beam, and Maggie came close in two events,” she said. “We have practice two days a week for the dual-sport athletes. It’s hard on the body. You’ve got to have rest days.”

BR-H sophomore Zoey Jorasz also made the Division 2 Regional last season, competing on vault, and joins her teammates in being thankful for this opportunity.

“It’s really cool having more girls,” she said. “You have a chance to make friends from the other schools.

“Vault is probably my strongest event. It’s also my favorite event because you can try different things. There’s lot of options. I think the season is going pretty good, but (I) need to gain confidence on floor. I need one more qualifying score for Regionals in vault.”

North Central sophomore Addysyn DeAngelo did middle school gymnastics in North Dakota.

“I never expected to have this opportunity,” she said. “I moved from North Dakota in eighth grade. This is a big change. When I was younger, gymnastics wasn’t as hard. We pretty much stuck to the basics. This is a good learning experience. You have to be real disciplined. You also have to be willing to come to all practices.

“This has been a pretty good experience. I made a lot of new friends and like the girls I’m working with. … I think it will be fun to go downstate. I haven’t been down there much. That will be a chance to make some new friends.”

John VrancicJohn Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.

PHOTO The Bark River-Harris gymnastics team takes a photo after finishing runner-up at the Escanaba Elks Invitational. (Photo courtesy of the Bark River-Harris gymnastics program.)