Trio leads Eagle gymnasts

Betsch, Bianchi look to repeat trips to state tourney, Otis seeks first chance

By JEN SEAVEY

Journal Sports Editor

NEW ULM -- As a team, the Eagle gymnasts have had a successful season, but three girls in particular have singled themselves out with consistently high scores as favorites to do well in a tough Section 3A tournament.

Junior Amber Bianchi has been to the state tournament two times already, Allison Betsch went to state last year, and senior captain Christine Otis is looking for her first appearance this year.

The first time Bianchi made a trip to State in floor exercises, she was just an eighth grader.

"It was really exciting, yet overwhelming," Bianchi said. "It was totally new and different -- I was the first person to go to state from New Ulm in a long time."

Last year, when she was in tenth grade, she scored 9.4 on floor to advance -- a score that was not only a personal best for her, but was also a school record. Now as a junior, she expects to do well, having scored an average of about 9.0 for the season.

Coach Jeanine Backer says that Bianchi might also have a chance to place high on the beam.

"If Amber does what she did on the beam in Worthington (tie for first at 9.05), she will be a contender," Backer said.

Teammate Betsch, who is just a sophomore, made a surprise trip to state last year when she scored 8.4 on the bars. She is looking forward to a good section meet, because this year she has improved and is performing at a consistent 9.0.

"I plan on making it again this year," Betsch said. "I hope to score higher in the state meet, and hopefully make it in more than one event."

Aside from bars, Betsch has also been doing pretty well in all-around, according to Backer, and both coach and gymnast thinks she could place high at sections in that.

Although Otis has not been to state before, she placed sixth on floor last year at sections with 9.15, just missing the cutoff of 9.3. This year, Otis feels good about sections. She has reached a score of 9.3 this year, and has averaged about 9.15.

"My season has been pretty strong, and I'm riding the confidence," Otis said. "Hopefully the nerves don't get to me."

In any event, nerves can be an issue, and according to Backer, they haven't been an issue yet this year, but one never knows.

"You'll always have that human element of error," New Ulm coach Jeanine Backer said. "They (Bianchi, Betsch and Otis) are pretty consistent in performance, and on the events that they are expected to do well on at regions, they don't make mistakes very often."

But pressure may be a factor in the girls' performance. Backer thinks that at least in Bianchi and Betch's case, the pressure may be off of them because they have been there before. But Otis thinks of it a different way.

"I've never been there, so I don't feel like I have to go back," Otis said. "I'm not expected to, so I don't feel that outside pressure."

Pressure may also have been a factor in the falls the team experienced on floor in the past couple of meets. Bianchi thinks that since the Eagles won the top spot at the South Central Conference tournament, it may have put some more pressure on the team to win.

Although they may have felt some pressure to win at the SCC tournament and the Worthington meet afterward, the team is actually deemed somewhat as the underdog in Section 3A.

Jackson should be in control, according to Backer. They beat Worthington earlier this season, and Worthington beat New Ulm. Nevertheless, it should be a close meet.

"It should be pretty nip and tuck," Backer said. "We could have a great meet and still lose, or we could have a great meet and come out on top."

Otis would enjoy it if the year ended up with the Eagles on top.

"We won the conference and I made the all-conference team," Otis said. "If we went to state, that would be the icing on the cake, after working all these years."

But Backer would be pleased with the team's results if the girls do their best against some tough teams.

"It's a big bag of questions," she said. "As long as we finish at our peak, I'll be happy."