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Gymnasts Kyra Trowbridge (left) and Lauren Dauberman work with coach Valentina Pintchouk during practice at Paragon Gymnastics.
Lauren Dauberman (foreground) stretches during practice this week. Lauren and her teammate Kyra Trowbridge have qualified for a USGA event in Nashville, Tenn.
Lauren Dauberman (left) and Kyra Trowbridge chat before practicing their routines on the balance beam. The two gymnasts will join their team at the Eastern National Championships. |
By KURT NICOLL
For years, Ken Wood actively pursued Craig Tetreault to become the primary coach of his Paragon Gymnastics program. Landing Valatina "Vala" Pinchouk as part of the bargain proved to be a major coup.
The pair have guided the roughly 50 competitive team members (Levels 4-10) to a banner season. Level 9 gymnasts Lauren Dauberman and Kyra Trowbridge have qualified for the Eastern National Championships in two weeks and are preparing for regional and national testing in June.
"Going to nationals is going to be a new experience for them," Pinchouk commented during a recent team practice at Central Park. "What I want to see is, when they step out on the floor, are they going to represent our club with big smiles? They have to look like they enjoy whatever they are doing.
"Of course, it is competitive. All year, they have been polishing and cleaning up their routines and adding a little more difficulty," she added. "They have to be ready for the competition and believe in themselves in a really nice way."
Pinchouk moved from Belarus (formerly part of the USSR) in 1996 and had trained a number of top gymnasts from Europe. She did receive a bit of a shock, though, when she switched jobs last February.
"The people here are a little more laid back than they were in New Jersey," she stated. "When I asked one of the gymnasts about how she felt not qualifying for regionals, she said, 'That's OK.' If you aren't dreaming about doing something, it doesn't make any sense to [train regularly]."
Pinchouk knows about employing the "carrot-and-stick" strategy of coaching. Her daughter, Alexandra, did not start competing until she was 11, but advanced rapidly. She qualified for nationals three times and now competes for Stanford University.
"For the little kids [ages 5-7], you have to work with them and have them set goals," said Pinchouk, who recognizes her pupils' achievements with super sapphires. "You give them hugs. First they have to love you [like a parent], then they will do anything for you."
Daily practices last roughly four hours and the coaches often vary the event from the Olympic rotations (vault, bars, beam and lastly floor) to keep their pupils fresh and prepare them for competing in weekend tournaments (where sequence order is determined by a draw).
Conditioning drills are held frequently and gymnasts must exhibit a high level of physical and mental strength before they are allowed to attempt a difficult skill or routine.
Dauberman, a seventh-grader at Ni River Middle School in Spotsylvania County, left Paragon following five years of training. After a two-year absence, she asked to come back after learning of the new coaches. With state and regional titles for balance beam under her belt, the 13-year-old indicated she is prime and ready for the upcoming trip to Nashville.
"I know there are going to be a lot of people there. I guess it pumps me up knowing they are there supporting me. I like performing in front of people," said Dauberman, who also plays the piano and clarinet.
Dauberman and Trowbridge are close friends and hope fellow Level 9 gymnast Alexandra Little is able to make the trip as well.
"The team is an integral part of their success," said Tetreault, a four-year member and senior team captain of the Southern Connecticut State men's gymnastics team. "It is important that we are all there, ready to listen to the assignments for the day and pursue the goals for the week and make sure everybody is there for support."
Most of the roughly 50 members of competitive teams will be in the stands this Sunday when teammate Hana Stalik performs in the Level 8 state meet.
And while Pinchouk and Tetreault are new to the program, the rest of Wood's staff is not. Level 4 coach Charlene Polanosky has been with the club for nine years and Rachel Heard has climbed the ranks over the last 15 years, first as a gymnast and now as the developmental director and Level 5 coach.
"They're strict sometimes," admitted Trowbridge, who attends Grafton Elementary School and is a bars specialist. "They challenge us, which is really good. If they didn't challenge us, we wouldn't be going anywhere."
Originally from Minnesota, the 11-year-old gave up playing Little League baseball and singing in the school chorus to practice roughly 25 hours a week with her teammates.
"I think she is enjoying it more," said her mother, Christine Trowbridge. "She is starting to feel where her hard work is paying off. She sees the big picture now. She loves learning new skills and challenging herself."
To reach KURT NICOLL:
Email: knicoll@freelancestar.com
