It’s been one of the best sports programs in the entire area the past four seasons.
Four Division 1 state runner-up finishes. Four conference championships. More than 20 individual state championships.
The Burlington/Badger/Wilmot gymnastics squad, which also includes kids from Union Grove and Catholic Central, enjoyed the past three seasons with a trio of triumphant tumblers who wowed even in warmups.
Of course, I’m referring to the “Big 3” of Jenna Fitzpatrick, Bailey Fitzpatrick and Molly Benavides.
Together, the girls led a Demons squad that routinely put of state-record caliber scores in the high 140s and even touching 150.
Each girl won multiple individual state titles, and Molly and Bailey will most likely win state titles this season.
With Jenna graduated, it has been up to Molly and Bailey to carry the torch, a tradition of winning and dazzling the crowd with high-risk, high-reward movements on all four events.
This season, there have been a few bumps in the roads, ones this team hasn’t really seen since 2009.
While still a very good score, BBW has topped out at a 140.8 as a high score through the first two months of action.
It’s still good enough to be ranked No. 1 in the state, but loaded Kenosha and Franklin (three-time defending state champ) squads will likely surpass that total.
Most notably, Benavides hasn’t been performing on all four events for much of the season. The vault, an event in which she won state in 2014, hasn’t been part of her routine.
Until Jan. 27. (Since this column was published in the Jan. 29 Standard Press, Burlington won the prestigious Spartan Invite with a season-high 144 Saturday. Benavides won the vault. She’s officially back.)
Benavides, who said last week she is trying to ease back into her routine, competed on vault in her team’s 140.275-116.575 victory over Elkhorn, and the overall result was impressive.
Benavides finished with a 36.625 in the all-around, a little less than a full point behind all-around champ Bailey Fitzpatrick (37.575).
It was a strong showing for the decorated gymnast, who coach Diane Biedrzycki said has been struggling with some of her more difficult skills this season.
“I’m easing into every event,” Benavides said last week. “It’s better to take things slow than just go out there unprepared.
“I’m just on and off with my skills, but I’m thankful I can do them when I compete.”
Benavides added she hasn’t added her full routine for floor as well.
Real danger involved
Gymnastics, unlike most other sports, has the dreaded “if you screw this up, you may seriously injure yourself” vibe due to all of the flipping and potential of landing on your head. It’s all fun and games to us spectators, and we marvel in the grace and beauty of these athletes, but the reality is falls happen and sometimes kids don’t get up right away.
What I like about Benavides’ thinking is that she’s been to the top of the mountain, she knows what it takes to win it all and she understands her body.
Benavides knows it doesn’t matter if she reveals all of her specific moves in the regular season.
Her eyes are on the prize, a long-time-coming team state championship. Scores won’t ultimately count for real until sectionals at the end of February.
The expectations aren’t as high as the previous four years, and the Demons are quietly flying under the radar somehow despite a No. 1 state ranking.
The first really big test was Saturday at the Spartan Invite, which Burlington passed with flying colors.
Considered the underdog this year by many, the pressure’s finally off the Demons.
Slowly but surely, this team will keep improving its scores.
“We don’t have the depth that we’ve had in the past,” said coach Diane Biedrzycki last week. “We are performing well in meets, but practices have been frustrating.”
Biedrzycki has the challenge of implementing new skills for all of her girls, several of which are new to full-time varsity roles.
Mia Trent is the only other all-around athlete based on Tuesday’s results other than Benavides or Bailey Fitzpatrick.
Hailey Siegler and Sophia Ellsworth are showing promise, but Biedrzycki is throwing new things at them every day on floor, vault and bars.
The team has weathered the storm well, with wins at the Emerald Classic and a triangular at Kenosha last week.
“I usually have my team showing 100 percent earlier than sectionals, but that’s when it’s most important.”
Nothing to lose
Sure, Franklin is probably going to compete for the state title. And Arrowhead, Mukwonago and Franklin will be there in the end, too.
Only Burlington and Arrowhead have scored in the 140s this season, which bodes well for the Demons, but no team has really given it their all yet in terms of degree of difficulty.
It would take a huge showing at a tough sectional that includes Franklin, and only two teams advance to state, but if Bailey Fitzpatrick and Benavides keep performing at their high levels, everything will be find and maybe even gold come March.
Trent, Ellsworth and Siegler improve each meet, and their scores in the mid-8s should be enough for solid team scores.
If Benavides can return to her full arsenal, which I know she will, and Fitzpatrick continues her dominance, the complementary scores should naturally increase in the next month.
It’s rare that this many teams are only scoring in the 130s this late in the season, so maybe the state is down competition-wise.
Whatever the case, BBW deserves a few bounces their way, if you will. In two of the last three years, the Demons have been within a point of two of that elusive state title, but injury or heightened pressure have affected the team.
Maybe this is the year?
With Benavides and Bailey back to all-around dominance, it’s only a matter of time before 140 turns into 143, 145 and so on.
You can point out the lack of depth, shaky start or guarded progress among several girls with their big-time moves, but don’t sleep on this team.
The talent is there, the hunger for a state championship is five years in the making and Biedrzycki is one of the best coaches in the area, regardless of sport.
The favorites may have become the underdogs, but Benavides, Fitzpatrick and Biedrzycki can’t ever be counted out.
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