HITTING THE EQUIPMENT — Members of the 2022-23 Martin County Area Magic gymnastics team opening the season at Blue Earth on Thursday night include, front row (l-r): Assistant coach Jenna Steele, Essence Leach, Cierra Farnum, Adriana Leiding, Avery Steuber, Abi Chavez, Madisen Ludewig, Lillie Schultz, Nora Fitzgerald, Mollie Leiding, assistant coach Courtney Schultz and head coach Annie Post. Back row: Ellie Perkins, Amelia Anderson, Ava Thate, Carolina Hernandez, Anna Bachenberg, Anna Utermarck, Jadyn Montgomery, Nola Thedens and Kaydynce Weber. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — Injuries have always been an unfortunate side effect of competing in all high school athletics.

Annie Post, however, probably did not anticipate her gymnastics roster experiencing so many during her first season at the Martin County Area Magic’s coaching helm in 2021-22.

Unfortunately for Post, the senior tandem of Anna Bachenberg and Anna Utermarck will be sidelined when Martin County Area opens its dual-meet schedule against Blue Earth Area at 6 p.m. Thursday in Blue Earth.

While Bachenberg will not compete during the final season of her outstanding high school gymnastics career due to still recovering from two torn posterior cruciate ligaments and a torn meniscus in her knees, Utermarck could possibly return to the lineup at some point in the upcoming winter campaign. Utermarck suffered an ankle injury during the fall soccer season.

“Anna B’s knees will not allow her to perform any of the high-level skills she competes, so she’ll contribute to the team cause as kind of an assistant coach in the gym,” said Post. “It’s great to have her in the gym working with the younger girls.

“Anna U’s ankle hasn’t allowed her to practice yet, and it’s one of those play-it-by-ear injuries. We’ll just have to wait until she recovers and see if she can compete at that point forward.”

Both Bachenberg and Utermarck will join junior Abi Chavez as the Magic’s tri-captains for the season. Chavez earned a regular starting spot in the Magic’s varsity floor exercise and vault rotations last season before eventually competing in the all-around at times.

Post anticipates Chavez, eighth-grader Mollie Leiding and seventh-grader Lillie Schultz competing in the all-around in 2022-23.

“This is my eighth overall season with the program, and that’s been an advantage since most of these girls, especially the younger ones, have come up through the ranks with me,” said Post. “They know my coaching style and philosophy, and what the atmosphere in the practice gym is like.

“One of the best aspects of this team is they’ll not only push themselves to improve, but they’ll also encourage their teammates to get better.”

Leiding returns after competing as a varsity specialist as a seventh-grader a year ago, while Schultz and fellow seventh-grader Nora Fitzgerald will make their varsity debuts as an all-arounder and a specialist, respectively.

Sophomore Ava Thate brings back varsity scoring punch, and will compete on the uneven parallel bars, vault and beam this winter.

Eighth-grader Jadyn Montgomery also contributed to the varsity point production as a specialist a year ago, and will be counted on to send the judges’ scorecards skyward on the uneven bars and vault during the upcoming campaign.

“Beam has been our strong suit in the past, but I’m guessing vault will be our best event this year,” said Post. “We should be able to compete five Tsuks — with Abi (Chavez), Ava (Thate), Jadyn (Montgomery), Mollie (Leiding) and Lillie (Schultz) throwing them.

“All five of them have been working them at least three or four years, so now, hopefully, we can compete them on a regular basis.”

Chavez and Schultz will give the Magic a good base to build on when it comes to the floor exercise, according to Post, but even those two and the rest of the team will have to meet the new scoring standard.

“The high school league has added two new requirements — a one-and-a-half toe turn and a leap series — to the floor, so we’ll have to work that into our routines,” said Post.

So, now Post, along with assistant coaches Courtney Schultz, Justin Thedens and Jenna Steele, will continue to sharpen their gymnasts’ skills in the practice gym as the season progresses.

“Everybody’s at about the same level except for (2022 Class A state runner-up) Mankato West in Section 2,” said Post, whose injury-riddled lineup netted sixth place at last year’s sectional meet. “We’ll just keep working our routines, put the work in the gym and see how it comes out on the scorecards.”

Martin County Area competes in its home opener against Worthington on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at Live Fit Sport & Wellness Center in Fairmont.