Carley Di Martino, one of five Sachem gymnasts to qualify for the county championship meet, qualified for the state tournament on the balance beam during the meet on Tuesday night.
Also competing for Sachem, and making their debut at the individual counties, were Jamie Tartaro (floor), Jackie Woodburn (uneven Bars), and Jessica Zaput (vault). Kerstyn Ciulla also qualified on bars, but unfortunately was injured days before.
Di Martino, a sophomore at Sachem High School East, is in her third year representing Sachem in the county championship meet, and experience was certainly on her side last night. Her warm-up was nearly flawless, stirring excitement in her coaches, teammates, and fans. But in the first seconds after saluting the judges and beginning her routine, she stumbled. Nervous, she wobbled a few more times before regaining her confidence and solidity on the four-inch wide, four-foot high apparatus. Like opening the floodgates, she nailed skill after skill, tumbling and flipping over the beam with precision. And, as the exclamation point at the end, she stuck the dismount, earning a score of 9.125.
Di Martino will join 10 other gymnasts from across Suffolk County that will be competing as the Section XI Gymnastics Team in the New York State Championship March 2. This year’s state championship is being held in Suffolk County.