GUILDERLAND — The team has vaulted its way to being one of the better teams in Section II and has some high goals to finish out the season.
"The season has been excellent," said Coach Brenda Goodnight at practice on Monday. "We’ve beaten Bethlehem both times and Shaker both times. We have a loss to Saratoga and a meet with them tomorrow. Then we have our last home meet with Shenendehowa. We hope to beat them; it was close last time up there."

Guilderland lost to Shen by two points in a dual meet earlier this season.

The Lady Dutch won the Bethlehem Invitational where they scored better than Shen. They also finished third at the Shaker Invitational.
"That was the first meet of the year," Goodnight said of the Shaker meet. "The beginning of the season is tough. We got an outstanding performance from a core group of kids."

The Section II Individual All-around Meet is this Saturday.

Dana Goodnight, the coach’s daughter, was the all-around champion at the Shaker Invitational. She scored 131.5 to set a school record.
"We have a decent top five," Coach Goodnight said, "but I’m proud of the entire team. Everyone has improved from last year. Everybody really put a lot of time in and has worked really, really hard."

The team is young as only two seniors dot the roster.

Katie Greene and Krystal Myers are the only two in their final year at Guilderand and are two of the team’s co-captains.

Goodnight, a junior, is the other captain; she is one of three juniors on the team. The others are Claire Leonard and Jen Diana.

Erika Pesta is the lone sophomore on the team but there are six ninth-graders on the roster.

Kaleigh O’Hanlon, Kristina Cossingham, Heather Whitson, Kirsten Lomen, Corinne Chatnik, and Corrina Goutos are the ninth-graders.

Rachael Gallelli and Lauren Fehervari are eighth-graders on the team and Alexa Patnaude and Kristi Russell are seventh-graders on the squad.

Big team

The 18 athletes makes for one of the larger teams Goodnight has had.
"We had 21 kids that came out, so I had to cut a few," the coach said. "It’s hard to manage a large group of girls. I also wanted to give an opportunity to the girls that were on the the team last year to improve their skill level."

Goodnight is being helped out again this year by Mike McDonald, who used to be the head coach of the program.
"We have such a large group," Goodnight said. "But the only problem is that the middle-school kids don’t get here until we’re well into practice. They have a limited time to work out." Farnsworth Middle School is dismissed later than the high school.

Out of the 18 competitors, most have qualified to compete in sectionals. Fourteen have qualified for the vault alone.

Though Goodnight would say that vault isn’t the strongest of their events.
"We’ve been getting most of our points on bars," the coach said. "Last year, that was definitely one of our weaker events, but we worked at it. Vault might have the most kids qualify for sectionals but it’s not our highest scoring event. We have eight or nine girls that do bars and are really good at it. It’s the toughest event for high-school girls to do because of the strength and technique involved."

Guilderland also has a couple of athletes who have competed for area club teams and decided to come out for the team this year.

Dana Goodnight has been a member of World Class Gynmastics in Latham, where Brenda Goodnight has also coached, and Russell competes for Northeast Institute of Gymnastics in Albany.
"They have obvious skills that they bring to any high-school program," Brenda Goodnight said. "In high school, it’s more of a team concept. Club is so individual. Girls are trying to qualify for nationals on an individual basis. For most of these kids," she said of the Guilderland team members, "qualifying for sectionals is a big event."

Goodnight said that the girls who also participate in clubs bring skills that the other girls can learn from.
"It’s for the girls to see a different skill level," the coach said.

The club competitors also learn how to work in a team environment, which is what college teams focus on.
"There is a little bit of a different atmosphere," Goodnight said. "There is an element of college. Even though girls at the club level are friends, most of them attend different schools."

Lofty goals

Goodnight said the team has set some lofty goals for the remainder of the season. The Lady Dutch have their sights set for a high finish at sectionals.
"Our ultimate goal is for the team to win or finish second at sectionals," the coach said. "Saratoga is hard to beat. We have two or three club kids and they have six or eight."

The Lady Dutch have shown improvement in most of the events.
"I’ve seen growth now skill-wise," Goodnight said. "Even kids that didn’t compete in all four events are doing it this year. They have worked really, really hard."

And its that work ethic and a dedication by the Guilderland athletes that has led to the improvements.
"We’re looking to a strong end of the year," Goodnight said. "They are picking up the pace. I’ve given them Saturdays off and they get upset at me and I have to come in. But it shows where they are with the sport. They are a pretty good group of dedicated kids."