DES MOINES--Competing without its top all-arounder, Allison Sherwin, the Decatur girls gymnastics team fell just short in its bid for a top two team ranking from the South Puget Sound League 3A/2A sub-district championships that would send it to West Central District.

Scoring 157.475 points, the Gators just missed second place Auburn-Mountainview's 160.525. Enumclaw ran away with the top spot to the West Central District meet at 172 725 on Saturday, Feb. 4.

All members on the two qualifying teams plus three additional all-around competitors and top seven additional individual event qualifiers earned spots to the district meet to be held Feb. 11 at Mount Rainier High School.

"Almost everybody made it to district, even though the team didn't," said Decatur head coach Patty Braun. "Our top all-arounder was missing, so what more can you do?"

Anna Paradee led the Gator gymnasts in the special qualifier category as the all-around No. 1 with a third place 34.2 score. The best scoring event for her was a 9.2 sixth place on the floor exercise.

A vault of 9.125 netted her a second place as her to finish.

"There was pressure to do good for the team," said Paradee. "I thought the vault was my best event and I'm trying to add a tsukahara layout to the routine."

Decatur also featured the other two special qualifiers in the all-around.

In AA2 was the eighth-place finisher of the entire competition, Shawntel Bali, at 32.9. Bali's highest score was an 8.95 on the floor, although an 8.875 fifth place on the balance beam became the Gator athlete's top ranking of the night.

"Just like Anna, I just wanted to do my best," said Bali. "We really wanted to go to district as a team."

Coach Braun's daughter, Victoria, took the third and final special qualifier with a 32.225 on the strength of an energetic 9.425 third place posting on the floor.

"As a team, we did well on the bars and beam," Braun said. "On the vault, I stuck it. The floor was good. I'll still work on my facial expression and dancing."

Kyla Lusink earned a special qualifying position to WCD from the vault competition.

Additional Gator individual qualifiers included Tori Zellerhoff, Maggie Victor and Jasmine Smith on the uneven parallel bars.

Zellerhoff will also compete at district on the floor exercise.
Rounding out the Decatur qualifiers was Karissa Kohlman on the balance beam and floor.

Olivia Bannerot of Enumclaw captured first places on the vault (9.5), bars (8.75) and floor (9.75) enroute to an all-around first place total of 36.9.

Hornet teammate Maddison Ward perched and jumped on the balance beam for first place (9.4) enroute to a 34.7 AA second.