Athlete of the Week: Melissa Ricciardi

Name: Melissa Ricciardi

Sport: Gymnastics

Grade: Sophomore 

The lowdown: Melissa placed third in the league meet on October 24th. She received a 9.65 on the beam, 9.45 for floor exercise, 8.925 on bars, and a 9.275 for vault. She received the gold medal for the beam portion of the meet. On October 21st, Melissa also competed in the county meet. She received a 9.65 on the beam, claiming the silver medal. She posted a total of 37.35, which was the second highest all-around score in the entire competition. The Pascack Regional Team lost by a miniscule margin of .025 points to Ramapo High School—the smallest margin possible.

Coach’s comment: “Melissa is an extremely talented gymnast and a strong leader on our team. This year, she is the anchor on our team because she competes last on each event. Melissa is extremely calm and collected under pressure. You may see her singing and laughing right before she competes. This is her way of handling the pressure. She wants to win and is willing to do whatever it takes to help our team be successful. Last Friday, at Counties, and this past Monday at Leagues, Melissa went out there and did exactly what we needed her to do. Winning League A on Monday was a great accomplishment for our girls this year, and Melissa has a lot to do with our success.”-Allison Petaccia

 Melissa’s Comment on her Coach: “She’s a good coach and she’s very supportive and encouraging, positive as well.”

What she likes most about gymnastics: “I like all the support from the team and everything and how it’s a team sport.”

If she had one superpower it would be….: To read people’s minds.

Favorite musical artist: Gavin DeGraw

Favorite Genres of Music: Pop and country

Favorite teacher: Tash (Petaccia) – who is also her gymnastics coach

Favorite Subject in School: Math

Favorite TV Show: Grey’s Anatomy and Friends  

Four people she would like to meet: Gavin DeGraw (country singer), Justin Bieber (pop star), Brooklyn Beckham (son of former professional soccer player David Beckham), AJ Cook (actress).

Future plans: “Maybe do gymnastics in college, but I don’t know.”