Colonial Forge Wins First Title

Colonial Forge All-Met Sam Brooks works on the balance beam. She finished second to Stonewall Jackson's Kelsey Deitz in the all-around. (By John Mcdonnell -- The Washington Post)

Colonial Forge junior gymnast Sam Brooks grabbed the faces of each of her teammates before their beam routines in the first rotation of the AAA Northwestern Region meet, held at Colonial Forge yesterday. Brooks pleaded with them to stay on the balance beam, thinking that the meet would hinge on that event.

Brooks didn't know how right she was.

Overcoming five falls on the beam, including one by Brooks, the Eagles won their first region championship in the school's six-year history, scoring a 148.85.

Behind Brooks's second-place finish in the all-around (38.075), Colonial Forge defeated defending state champion Stonewall Jackson, which had beam troubles of its own. The Raiders (148.325) saw their third straight region title slip away on the beam after senior Erin Stack, the school's last competitor, fell three times, including on her mount.

Stack, an All-Met as a sophomore, and Brooks, last season's All-Met Gymnast of the Year, recognized the beam's difficulty for even the most accomplished gymnast.

"Usually when I fall on my mount, I get really mad and nail the rest of my routine," Stack said. "Tonight, I just screwed up. It stinks."

Said Brooks, "It's kind of an event where you're either going to lose it or you're going to go perfect."

Still, Stonewall Jackson will have a chance to defend its state championship, joining Colonial Forge at Friday's team competition at Tallwood High School in Virginia Beach. The individual meet is Saturday, also at Tallwood.

The Raiders can thank junior Kelsey Deitz for the return trip to states. Deitz delivered her second straight school-record performance in winning the all-around with a 38.575, a performance that vaulted Deitz into the area's elite gymnasts. She won two events, including a stellar beam routine (9.775).

"I've added a lot of difficulty since last year," Deitz said. "I threw a back tuck on beam, which I didn't do in regionals last year. I've definitely stepped it up a little."

Colonial Forge also had to step things up after the beam rotation. The Eagles won the next three events, scoring a meet-high 38.075 on floor. Senior Angie Clements was steady all night, finishing fourth in the all-around with a 37.35.

"The girls have a habit of bouncing back and that speaks a lot to their maturity," Eagles Coach Kate Reeves said. "It was very comforting that we could do that. They didn't let the little things get in the way."

AAA Northwestern Region Championships Stonewall Comes Close: Colonial Forge won its first AAA Northwestern Region gymnastics title last night, but defending state champion Stonewall Jackson stayed near the Eagles despite losing sophomore all-around Nadine Joslin to a toe injury midway through the meet. Potente Power: North Stafford sophomore Carissa Potente won the vault with a 9.6.