With adrenaline pumping and nerves at their highest peak, the Fenton, Linden and Lake Fenton gymnastics team (LFLF) gears up for the upcoming season. Coached by Linden staff member, Five girls from Fenton attended tryouts that were held on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1.

“Tryouts went really well,” freshman Lauren Hayden said. “I have been doing gymnastics for 10 years. Before competing on the team, I went to Gym Stars Gymnastics. However, they only allow girls to compete on the team up to eighth grade, so now the LFLF team is the only team I participate in.”

For many of the girls on the team, gymnastics is something they have been doing for years. During competition, there are four events that each girl must compete in for each meet: bars, beam, floor and vault.

“My strongest event is probably vault,” sophomore Morgan Smith said. “I could honestly improve in all my events, but mostly bars. It has always been tough for me because there are many requirements for bars when compared to the other events. ”

Like many sports, gymnastics requires nine hours of practice each week, not including the hours they practice at home to perfect a certain skill. The team practices three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, after school from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. All the hours the whole team puts it in, is in preparation for all of their meets, including states. States are held at the end of the season on March 10.

“My main goal this season is to make it to states not just as an individual, but also as a team,” Smith said. “If we make it to states, this will be the first time the LFLF goes as a whole team.”

“I hope that we do really well this season,” Hayden said. “I want to make it to states this year. I am always looking to challenge myself, and getting to states is definitely going to challenge me.”

Going to states is the biggest goal not only for just each member as an individual but for the team as a whole. The first meet of the season will be held at Lakeland High School on Saturday, Nov. 18.