After this girls gymnastics season, Oak Park and River Forest senior Riley Patnode will miss the sensation of hanging upside down.
“I’ll probably be doing handstands throughout my house,” said a laughing Patnode. “It’s a weird feeling. I don’t know why, but being around a bar is like 100 times better.”
Perhaps it’s no wonder that the Huskies are enjoying a big turnaround and Patnode is playing an important part.Â
Their 136.05 Dec. 9 is their highest score in years. They also are contending for their first top-three finish in years in the competitive West Suburban Conference Silver Division.
Patnode is a four-year varsity all-arounder, captain and the lone varsity senior. The Huskies also return juniors Alyona Jochaniewicz and Natalie Weeks and have been bolstered by freshmen Grace Luptak and Cecilia Doyle.
“Previous years, we’ve just been an average team. We’ve got some great new freshmen and I really think everyone has upped their game a lot,” Patnode said. “I have a feeling. It’s a good year. Hopefully it stays that way.”
This is arguably Patnode’s best season after training during the summer with several teammates at Tri-Star Gymnastics in Forest Park. She’s combining her physical skills and veteran confidence with infectious enthusiasm and leadership for a program with just four seniors.Â
“I’d say she’s finally utilizing her body well, is more focused. She knows it’s her final year so she’s trying to get bigger tricks this time around,” OPRF coach Kris Wright said. “As a captain, she’s kind of playing the role as motivator with the girls. Riley has the best attitude, the best smile.”
Patnode was an individual sectional qualifier in 2013 and 2014 – twice as an all-arounder and once for vault, uneven parallel bars and floor.Â
As a junior, she did not reach sectionals. She rolled her ankle and only competed on uneven bars and balance beam at the conference meet and regionals. After the season, she was diagnosed with a stress fracture in her lower back.
“I was very disappointed (not reaching sectionals). Usually I’m much stronger at all-around than individual (events) so that was hard for me,” Patnode said. “Definitely this year will go a lot better.”Â
She’s making it happen through hard work. Her tumbling and experience enhance her floor routines. Using her height and strength, she has left her past “boring” vaults for the harder and higher-valued pike Tsukahara.Â
“I thought that this is senior year and I’m strong enough and can do it,” Patnode said. “I was very determined about it, (thinking) I’m going to get this for senior year. I have to get this for senior year.”Â
In their home opener Dec. 9, Patnode and the Huskies were jubilant about their 136.05 to 132.30 victory over Lyons Township, the 2013 and 2014 state champions. Only two Lions remain from their 2015 fifth-place state lineup.
Patnode had a season-high 34.20 all-around for third. She was third on uneven bars (8.55), fourth on vault (8.95) and floor (8.55) and fifth on beam (8.15).
“That was awesome. Usually when Lyons comes to our gym they blow us out of the water but everybody was pumped up because we had a chance and nailed it pretty much,” Patnode said.Â
With a 4.0-plus weighted grade-point average, Patnode will attend Wisconsin or Purdue and major in industrial engineering. Older brother Kyle is a swimmer at Iowa.
“I did (swimming) a lot in elementary school and middle school but I didn’t like it,” Patnode said. “I usually did gymnastics and swimming at the same time but in gymnastics I was so much better.”
Huskies fall to Hilltoppers
OPRF lost a conference dual meet against visiting Glenbard West 144.2 to 133.8 last week. Jochaniewicz had the top all-around score of 36.05 for OPRF, while Weeks scored a 32.55. Grace Luptak and Patnode both scored a 31.90.
Jochaniewicz finished second overall in the vault (9.10) and floor (9.05). She also tied Glenbard West’s Sarah DeStefano as the runner-up in the beam with a score of 9.50.
The Huskies hit the road this week with a conference dual meet at Hinsdale Central at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 13 followed by the Niles North Invite at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 16.
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