Nearly a year after the program was almost cut, the Firelions gymnastics team rallied together and returned to an exciting season for the 2022-2023 school year. 

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After a widespread protest in support of keeping the program, Lawrence Public Schools decided not to cut Lawrence gymnastics at Free State and Lawrence High School. The publicity from the protest helped the program gain support from all over Lawrence, from athletes to students to teachers alike. The near-cutting of the program also gained the gymnasts well deserved recognition compared to other years. 

 

“A lot of gymnasts joined this year. I feel like there were a lot of club gymnasts who had retired and rejoined teams this year,”  senior gymnast Peyton Fowler said.  “I think that we bounced back very well.”

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The season concluded with the Lawrence High team placing 7th at state, along with winning a home meet at the start of the season. Most Lawrence-based meets were usually held at Rock Chalk Park or Jayhawk Gymnastics rather than at LHS or Free State. 

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While there were losses and athletes wishing for better scores, the season overall was a success.

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 “The LHS team did a lot better than we had in past years,” junior Annie Shew said. “I think we did pretty well, considering there were some setbacks.”

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Many gymnasts on the team looked to the future with personal and team goals for an even better season next year. 

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“I want LHS to win state. I just want to make my routines harder, and I want our LHS gymnastics team to keep improving, and keep improving ourselves as a team.” Shew said.

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While continuing to strive for better scores, gymnasts wanted to keep the team spirit and community alive for the years to follow. 

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“My friends, they make it sort of a community,” junior Meara Kingery said. “It makes it fun.”