Vargo, Ammon Fulfill Expectations Greatly
March 9, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
ROCKFORD – Farmington United junior Elena Vargo wasn’t sure what to expect from high school gymnastics when she decided to give it a try this season.
Rockford/Sparta senior Reagan Ammon never expected her high school career to end like this.
Both received pleasant outcomes at Saturday’s MHSAA Individual Finals at Rockford High School – Vargo’s not necessarily surprising, but Ammon’s so stunning it moved her to tears multiple times.
Vargo, after leading United to the team championship Friday and posting the state's highest Regional all-around score a weekend ago, capped her first season of high school gymnastics with the Division 1 individual all-around championship. Ammon, meanwhile, moved up from fifth in 2018 to close her high school career as the all-around champion in Division 2 as she was the last to be announced at the end of a busy weekend in her home gym.
“I did come from a competitive environment, so I knew I was going to come here and I knew I was going to be competitive. But I didn’t know what the other girls were going to be like,” Vargo said. “I just knew that no matter how good or how the other girls did, I wanted to beat myself each time. So my goal for each meet was to say, OK, I got a 9.6 on bars, let’s get a 9.65. I just kinda keep pushing myself, and through that I guess that made me get to the top.”
Vargo’s all-around score of 38.000 edged that of Northville sophomore and runner-up Katelyn O’Brien by 1.325 points. Vargo finished first on vault (9.800), uneven parallel bars (9.350) and floor exercise (9.600), the vault score tying for third-highest in Division 1 Finals history.
She made the switch to high school this winter after years gaining substantial club experience. Vargo, a student at Farmington Hills Harrison, also carries a 4.0 GPA and takes part in her district’s International Baccalaureate program, and going the high school gymnastics route allowed her to still compete in the sport and focus on an increased academic load.
Farmington United – made up of students from Harrison, Farmington High and North Farmington – had a number of individual competitors Saturday, and all of Vargo’s rotations were filled with teammates. They were difference makers when Vargo took to the vault late in the afternoon.
“Because we had an hour and a half of just sitting there, I was tired, I was sick, and I guess the adrenaline really got me going,” she said. “And my coaches and my teammates, they’re the main reason motivating me. As I was going down the vault, I could actually hear them motivate me, and I’m like, ‘OK, let’s stick this.’”
Similarly, Ammon was one of five Rockford/Sparta Division 2 all-around qualifiers and was able to compete in every rotation surrounded by Rams.
She had finished 13th all-around as a sophomore before moving up to fifth a year ago, and her victory Saturday included first places on bars (9.150) and beam (9.275).
It was after that final event that she and her teammates shared an emotional moment – but there was another to come as Ammon was stunned to hear her name called last to receive her championship medal.
“It was a good day. I just didn’t know that it was that good of a day,” Ammon said. “(I knew I’d won) when they announced second place. I seriously had no idea. I wasn’t paying attention to anyone else’s scores. I was just focusing on my own performances.
“After I finished my beam routine, I knew I had stuck all my events. I was so happy.”
O’Brien’s runner-up finish in Division 1 was especially impressive as she had finished third at her Regional just a week before. She posted top-six places on three apparatuses, with a high of second to Vargo on bars. Reigning Division 1 champion Cate Gagnier, a sophomore for Grosse Pointe United, finished third all-around at 36.525. Bloomfield Hills freshman Maeve Wright made her Finals debut by winning Division 1 balance beam with a score of 9.525.
Farmington senior Kacey Noseworthy won the floor exercise (9.400) on the way to her runner-up all-around finish in Division 2, while Ammon teammate junior Morgan Case took first in Division 2 on the vault (9.400). Huron Valley sophomore Nicole Graham finished third in the Division 2 all-around at 35.700.
PHOTOS: (Top) Farmington United’s Elena Vargo performs her floor routine during Saturday’s Division 1 Finals. (Middle) Rockford/Sparta’s Reagan Ammon also competes on floor on the way to winning Division 2. (Click for more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Rockford/Sparta Turns to Seniors, Large Contributing Cast to Complete 3-Peat
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
March 8, 2024
GRAND RAPIDS – Maybe the simplest explanation for Rockford/Sparta's third straight MHSAA gymnastics team state championship is that the Rams survived a rollercoaster season.
Rockford/Sparta overcame everything from injuries, to extra-motivated opponents after winning back-to-back Finals titles, a less-than-favorable showing at a key time during the season's mid-February Canton Invitational and several other lesser bouts of adversity to narrowly capture Friday's championship at Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills. The Rams finished with 144 points to inch past runner-up Farmington United's 143.8 score.
Bluntly put, seventh-year coach Michelle Ankney admits there were fair questions whether her team would wind its way to a third-straight Finals title and sixth since 2015. But in the end, the adversity was shoved aside.
"Honestly, we have nine seniors so I thought maybe we could do it," she said. "But then I began having some doubts in the middle of the season."
But after a top-shelf showing at the Feb. 14 conference meet, Ankney began to reverse her thinking.
"We hit (scored) in all our events," she said. "We were successful enough that I kind of thought, 'Oh, okay, it's going to be all right for us.'"
Salem finished third Friday with a score of 143.35 while Hartland was fourth at 143.35 and Northville fifth at 140.9.
Rockford/Sparta is one of only five programs to win team gymnastics titles since 2008, and the three-peat was the Rams’ second over the last decade.
In the end, experience proved crucial. Of the nine seniors, seven have been on all three champions. Rockford/Sparta will have 11 gymnasts compete in Saturday's individual meet.
Still, Ankney's careful attitude was echoed by her team. Senior captain Addi Pitzer, who rallied from a torn ACL in January to become a Finals qualifier, said much had to come together for the Rams to complete another title run.
"We thought definitely we had a good shot. On the first day of practice, you could see the fire and drive," she said. "We wanted to be the best we can be. People pushed through the pain; that shows the dedication we have."
Pitzer, who has been a part of these last three champions, said the current club has talent, but it's worked as hard or harder than the other champs.
"We definitely have a lot of talent, but the great thing is how hard we work," she said. "You don't win three straight state championships without working hard. This team has a lot of drive."
Senior Anjaleah Barraza said much of the adversity was learning to deal with being chased by the rest of the state. Considering the program's success over the last three seasons, teams are definitely lining up to give the Rams their best shot, she said.
"I think we're a better team when we're faced with adversity," she said. "It brought us closer together. One of us can have a bad event, but we all come together. That's chemistry. We're aware of being a target, but we use that to motivate us to do better."
Ankney said much of the success had to do with depth. Sparked by an outstanding senior class, Ankney said determining a lineup was often a challenge – in a good way. For instance, the Rams went up to nine deep on the balance beam and easily had seven gymnasts for each of the other three events.
Rockford/Sparta posted the day's highest team scores on floor exercise (36.975) and vault (36.6). Senior Hailey Hill competed all-around and led with a 36.325.
"We had 11 girls compete today, which is the most I've ever had as coach. We've had to step up this year because I don't think we were heavy favorites," she said of early season predictions. "We had a couple injuries, including one that shook us up a little. But we came back together."
PHOTOS (Top) Sophomore Elise Watkins competes on balance beam for Rockford/Sparta on Friday. (Middle) Farmington United cheers on a teammate during floor exercise. (Click for more photos from High School Sports Scene.)