Girls Gymnastics: Emily Ablin solid for Highland Park

Emily Ablin has all the raw skills to be a top-level high school gymnast. But considering most of her experience is in club gym, it will take a little time for the Highland Park High School sophomore to make the transition.

Ablin is making inroads on floor, where she is consistently scoring in the 8.5 range.

“She has great jumps and turns,” said Giants coach Laura Koehler. “She has great tumbling, and she has a front handspring front.”

To reach the next level, Ablin has to master the nuances of high school gym.

“She definitely has some skills,” Koehler said. “But the requirements (from club to high school) are different.”

On beam, Ablin has been putting up 7.6s despite suffering some falls. She’s also shown potential to score high on uneven bars.

“On bars, she has some giants (swing move) and a release move,” Koehler noted. “But I took off the release move in our meet on Friday (at Wheeling), because she’s been losing points.”

Look for Ablin to bump up her scores later in the season.

“Emily has a lot of skills,” the coach said, adding Ablin is a level 8 club gymnast. “We’re just trying to put them all together.”

Making strides: The Giants put up 108 points in Friday’s Wheeling Invitational. Just four days earlier, HP scored 103 in a dual meet against Evanston.

The team has received solid contributions from senior Emma Lev, junior Kaitlynn Hummel and junior Kim Majors.

Lev’s best efforts have come on beam.

“She has great jumps,” Koehler said.

Hummel has made significant improvements since last year, particularly on floor.

“Kaitlynn has really improved her dancing (on floor),” the coach said.

Majors has been a steady performer in all areas. Unfortunately, she suffered an ankle injury and will be in a cast for six weeks.

Working hard: The Giants are in rebuilding mode — but the pieces for the project are in place. Of the 26 girls isn the program, nine are freshmen.

“I have a great bunch of girls who work hard,” Koehler said. “We’re moving forward.”

On the schedule: Highland Park will host Glenbrook North at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 8. Koehler believes the powerful Spartans will provide a valuable experience for her young squad.

“It will be a good meet for us to see some top-level talent,” she sad.

The Giants will host Deerfield at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 13. They will then travel to Niles West on Dec. 15 for the Star is Born Invitational (6:15 p.m.).

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