On Wednesday, October 12, 2022, the Wayne Hills gymnastics team became County Champs by winning the Passic County Championship with a score of 102.325.  They beat teams Clifton, Passaic Valley, Wayne Valley, and West Milford. Senior Jacqueline Bernardo lead the team and came out with a clean sweep on all four events and 1st place all around. Freshman Audrey Marinick came in 3rd all around. Being relocated didn’t stop the Hills Gymnastics team from having a successful season.

But the season wasn’t easy but Hills gymnasts still find ways to pursue their passion for gymnastics while the gym floor was being rebuilt and they had to relocate to other facilities. 

At the beginning of August, gymnasts had a really difficult time adjusting to not being able to practice at their usual spot. The gym was being redone because it flooded this summer due to a pipe leaking and it affected the school and particularly the gymnastics team. Over the summer and throughout September 27th, the team has been practicing at Wayne Valley. Many gymnasts had a hard time accepting the fact that they could not practice at their original area but this didn’t stop them from being their usual best.

Samantha Weite, a senior gymnast at Wayne Hills said, “Being at Valley was really hard because people weren’t able to get there easily and the whole team dynamic was off. We overcame this by working hard and coming together as a team to still have the best season possible.” 

 Having to rehearse and have practice at a school that is not your own and is your rival might be a little difficult to adjust to but that didn’t stop any of the gymnasts from trying their hardest to do amazing. You would think that not practicing as much and not being in their usual spot could ruin their reputation and season of winning but that did not happen. As they only competed for 2 meets as they were practicing at Valley. They had won those On September 27th, the gym was finally done and gymnasts made their way back into the Wayne Hills gym. 

Victoria Kragiel, a Junior gymnast stated, “I was extremely excited when we got back into the gym since it was my first time ever in the hills gym. It just made the season so much better since I just feel more comfortable at our own school.”

Through all the struggle and hard work that the gymnasts of Wayne Hills went through, they pulled out a win for their sport and their school.

Cathy Peter, the coach said, “The Wayne Hills Gymnastics Team worked hard all season long increasing their skill level hoping to win the Passaic County Tournament. They exceeded my expectations. We had a difficult start to the season and only got back into our gym two weeks ago. This team is amazing, and I am so proud of them!”