Farmington United traveled to Canton this past Saturday for the Canton Invitational – also known as the min-state meet due to the quality of teams that attend each year.  The team did not disappoint as they again maintained their perfect season by placing 1^st overall.

   I like this team as they know when it’s time to compete, they are ready to go.  They know the drill.  They are experienced and that helps immensely. If they keep focused on the job they do and not let distractions like low scores, or a bad routine get in the way, they can compete with most teams.

    After three events we were behind Livonia Blue by 0 .6 points.  That can be deceiving to spectators as we did three different events.  Our last event was the floor exercise, which is typically a high scoring event.  Livonia traveled to bars.  They are really good on that event, but it is harder to get low and mid-nine scores as on floor.  Farmington did a nice job on floor, having the 2^nd highest team score of the meet.  The team was very solid as they placed first in team scores on vault, bars, and beam. 

    Farmington won with a 144.25.  Rockford placed second (141.05) and Livonia Blue third ( 140.625).  This was a lower score than the 147 we posted last weekend at the Milford Invitational.  I am not real concerned about how high we score.  Sometimes the judging is lower and as long as the judges are consistent, a win is a win. 

    Elena Vargo led the way by placing 1^st on 4 events   :  vault (9.45), Bars (9.3), Floor ( 9.725), and the all-around (37.7).  She was 3^rd on the beam (9.225).  I thought this was a good meet for her despite sore legs from a massive leg workout with a gym trainer only days prior.  Her legs were very sore for days.  We kind of joked about it because there was nothing to do but push through the pain.   I think she learned that it does not prove advantageous to go all out all the time.  However, she is mentally tough, got through the day, and still posted some very high scores and winning the all-around.

    Kacey Noseworthy also continued her excellence.  The team captain was steady throughout the day placing 1^st on beam  (9.0), second on bars (8.8775), floor ( 9.675), and in the all-around (36.3).  She also placed 6^th in the vault.  I don’t think I have ever seen Kacey have a bad meet.  When I think about her four years on the team, I only picture this tough athlete who gets the job done, week after week.  She is certainly one of the top division II athletes in the state.  Last year she placed second at States in the all-around and she is continuing to show that she is again ready to see how far she can go this year.  It’s a great story as she tore her ACL her sophomore year and has not only bounced back, but excelled.

    Ava Farquhar placed 8^th in the all-around (34.35) and 9^th on vault ( 8.75).  She has now placed in the top 10 of our last two big invitationals – a huge accomplishment in my eyes.  She is a grinder and keeps competing no matter how she did in her last event.  The all-around is the toughest event to place as it combines all four events.  She did not have her best meet, but she kept going like a machine.  This is a huge asset to the team and to her individually.  Meets are determined by tenth’s of a point, so I need everyone to grind it out each event.  She is a great example of being able to do just that each and every day. 

    Shelby Smith , Sydney Schultz and Allison Schultz continued to provide the depth needed to help us win the meet.  Without them we are good, but not great.  To provide scores in the mid eights to mid nines on various events is a huge asset when you are filling out the top 4 scores in each event.  This depth has helped us remain unbeaten so far this season.  I do not want them to go unnoticed,  as they are crucial to this team’s success.  Allie placed 9^th on Vault ( 8.75) and 3^rd on bars (8.675).  Sydney placed 6^th on bars ( 8.6)  and Shelby 9^th on Beam ( 8.725)