No coach. No season.
Neither Bloomington North nor South were able to find qualified coaches and recently announced that their gymnastics programs will take at least a one-year hiatus from IHSAA competition. It leaves Edgewood as the only program in the area, with Owen Valley's program shuttered a couple years ago. Martinsville also has less than a full team this season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe decision was recently announced, but rumors of the programs taking a hiatus had Edgewood scrambling in late October. The Mustangs, who have a dozen athletes out, don't have any equipment and practice at either Rising Star or BUGS and competed mostly in meets with North and South.
Fortunately, several schools were willing to add Edgewood to their duals and three-way meets, including Franklin Central, which hosts the sectional and regional. The season opener, which had normally been the county meet with the Bloomington squads, is now Jan. 12 at Seymour.
Bloomington North’s Tori Bilohlavek competes on the vault during the Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Edgewood gymnastics meet at North on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025."We had to revamp our entire schedule," Edgewood coach Hana Dodds said. "All of our 'home meets' and senior night, we piggybacked on North and South, so we had to adjust.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"We'll be traveling a lot more. We'll go to Franklin Central four or five different times. Losing North and South takes a toll on us and our girls loved competing with them for several years. Our seniors are sad that they won't have that opportunity again. We hope they bring their programs back."
North and South both had their coaches step down after last season, with Andrea Smith moving up into administration after a long run with the Cougars. Michelle Stroud stepped down in 2023 after taking over South's program in 2017 from long-time coach Leisa Jones. Stroud's daughter Andrea came over from Edgewood for one season before she left.
Dodds took over Edgewood's program when Andrea Stroud switched schools.
"Despite extensive efforts to recruit and hire a qualified gymnastics coach, we have not been able to fill the position," North coach Andy Hodson said. "Without a certified and experienced coach in place, we are unable to safely and effectively run the program this season."
Bloomington South’s Chloe Gautier competes on the beam during the Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Edgewood gymnastics meet at North on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025.Which means no Panthers or Cougars will compete as individuals, and Dodds said no Bloomington gymnasts transferred to Edgewood. North and South each had three juniors on last year's squads who would have been seniors this season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNorth and South have fielded teams since the sport was introduced to Indiana in 1972-73.
High school gymnastics is a small community in the state and Dodds and her assistant Addison Goerges appreciate how accommodating coaches and athletic directors have been in keeping Edgewood's season alive despite the extra mileage they'll pile up.
Edgewood has two seniors and 10 more in the other three classes and Dodds has a couple eighth graders who she expects to join next year. The high school version, as opposed to the club version, is an important offering.
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AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe team practices from 7-9 p.m. at one of the two area clubs, which allows multi-sport athletes to participate. Her team has track and cross country athletes as well as members of the cheerleading squad, show choir and dance teams and the later practice helps keep them fully involved.
"You do club, it's 20-30 hours a week all year round," Dodds said. "That's a big commitment. This gives them an opportunity to be a part of the sport without that full-time commitment."
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: North, South cancel gymnastics seasons. Here's why
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