NT_112918

northbrooktower.com Sports
the northbrook tower | November 29, 2018 | 47
Girls Gymnastics
North looking for strong competition
Michal Dwojak, Sports Editor
Trying to fill holes on a roster
might seem like a great undertaking,
but Glenbrook North
head coach Julie Holmbeck
looks forward to the challenge.
She’ll have to fill two major
holes in her varsity rotation after
both Brittany Ullrich and
Brittany Lazar graduated last
year. The Spartans finished fifth
in their sectional in the spring
thanks in part to the success
of those two, but Holmbeck
knows her team has the talent
to compete, it might just take
some time to figure out that rotation
that will compete for the
Spartans once the postseason
starts.
“Trying to fill their shoes and
moving the team forward will
be a challenge that is not impossible
to do,” Holmbeck said. “It
means everyone has to come together,
work together, push each
other to achieve those skills for
that to happen.”
GBN returns four gymnasts
from last season’s squad, but
there’s no given spots on the
team. Holmbeck noted how this
season is different from others:
There’s no major gap between
the Spartans vying for a
spot. The GBN gymnasts have
a lot of talent, but they’re all in
the same “bubble,” which will
make it tough on the coaches
to decipher who will help the
Spartans to reach their best potential.
No single Spartan has
perfected all four events, leading
the challenge in trying to
figure out who will have to perform
which events as part of the
starting rotation.
This is something Holmbeck
and the rest of the coaching staff
brings out the best out of their
gymnasts. With no spots guaranteed,
the coaching staff will
get the best out of each gymnast,
which they hope will lead
to overall success.
2018-19 Spartans Schedule
Nov. 29 — at Niles West,
5:30 p.m.
Dec. 1 — at Glenbard West
Invite, 11 a.m.
Dec. 5 — at Highland Park,
5:30 p.m.
Dec. 7 — hosts GBN Spartan
Classic, 6:30 p.m.
Dec. 13 — at Maine East,
5:30 p.m.
Dec. 20 — hosts Deerfield,
5:30 p.m.
Jan. 10 — hosts Vernon Hills,
5:30 p.m.
Jan. 12 — at Fremd Invite,
1 p.m.
Jsn. 17 — hosts Maine West,
5:30 p.m.
Jsn. 19 — at York Invite,
1 p.m.
Jan. 25 — at CSL Conference,
6 p.m.
“I’ve challenged them that
this is a year where you are going
to be challenged for a spot,
nothing is set in stone,” Holmbeck
said. “Even if you achieve
a spot, you’re not guaranteed it
because there is that competition,
so I’m hoping it lights that
fair and motivates them.”
One constant the Spartans
will have is senior Bridget Bollig.
She’s been a member of the
team since she was a freshman
and knows what it takes to build
a strong culture after she saw
what leaders like Ullrich and
Lazar created.
Bollig knows she’ll need to
help create that same culture to
replicate the Spartans’ past success.
“We’re getting a lot of new
girls who are good, and I’m trying
to keep up the positive team
energy,” Bollig said.
Holmbeck might have to wait
a little before figuring out its rotation.
GBN will have to battle
Glenbrook North gymnast Lucie Abbott will be a key contributor for the Spartans this season. 22nd
Century Media File Photo
some injuries at the start of the
season and key returner Lucie
Abbott will need some adjusting
time after cometing at the state
meet for swimming.
No matter how long it takes,
Holmbeck knows she’ll get the
best out of her team, because the
best will compete.
“They have to push the envelopes
on themselves,” Holmbeck
said. “They have to go in
there and work hard. We can go
in an motivate themselves so
they can get a spot.”