Becker springs a Class 1A surprise at high school gymnastics state championships

In the immediate aftermath of Becker’s victorious performance in the Class 1A team competition at the gymnastics state meet Friday at Roy Wilkins Auditorium, Bulldogs coach Jen Harmoning made every effort to assess her team’s unexpected championship.

Problem was, the words kept getting stuck in her throat.

Harmoning, Becker’s longtime coach, was inducted into the Minnesota Girls Gymnastics Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2019. But Friday’s championship was the team’s first. The reason? Harmoning said winning state was never the objective.

“That’s not our goal. Our goal is to be the best that we can be, to support each other and to be good teammates,” said Harmoning, her voice cracking with emotion and pride. “Just have fun and try your best, and the results are the results.”

The Becker gymnasts said the meet, which they won with a team score of 143.575, was not their best of the season. They stumbled a bit out of the gate with a couple of falls on balance beam. But they revived their meet with their best floor exercise effort of the season and proceeded to avoid the types of pitfalls that daggered their competitors.

Watertown-Mayer/Mound Westonka finished second and Melrose third. Both of those teams were ranked ahead of Becker in the final state rankings. Melrose was No. 1, and Watertown-Mayer/Mound Westonka was No. 4. Becker stood fifth.

“We definitely made some mistakes today,” Becker senior Lauren Woelfel said. “This sport is very, very mental. It’s all about keeping your head in the game and going after it.”

Teammate Hailey Duncombe added: ”Our team came together, even with our falls. We all did what we know how to do.”

Though winning state wasn’t exactly the goal, Harmoning admitted she enjoyed the outcome.

“It’s kind of a nice result to have. A super nice result to have,” she said.