Not many schools have gymnastics teams. That’s a proven fact. But after much celebrated success as a team in the past, the Pascack Regional team is no longer celebrating this season.

The team has been dropped out of the elite “Super Six,” also known as the NJGL (North Jersey Gymnastics League) A Division, into the B Division because they did not win enough meets and did not receive the scores needed to stay in the division.

But the team is using the defeat as a motivator to return better this year and hopefully to get promoted into the A Division. The real game changer, though, is the return of Valley gymnast Jillian Dean who did not spend the entirety of last season with the team because she wanted to focus on club gymnastics. Dean, a senior, along with junior LeAnne Drum, who put out an impressive season, will look to lead the team this year. Sophomore Olivia Lein is hoping to contribute more to the team this year as well.

With a strong freshman presence, the youthfulness along with the experience of the seasoned veterans should provide for a successful season for both the Valley and Hills gymnasts.

Head Coach: Tara Rosenberg (2^nd Season)

Last year’s record: 2-4

Key returnees: Jillian Dean (Sr., Valley), LeAnne Drum (Jr., Hills), Olivia Lein (Soph., Pascack Hills), Alex Borrelli (Sr., Valley)

Key losses: Alex Gold

Key newcomers: Melissa Ricciardi (Fr., Valley), Marissa McGrane (Fr., Hills), Amanda Goldstein (Fr., Hills), Alex Spinak (Fr. Hills), Jamie Rossig (Fr., Hills)

Strength of the team: The team is strong on floor, with increased difficulty and high scoring skills, Pascack posts some of its best scores on the floor exercise.

Weaknesses of the team: Difficulty scores on bars and beam have proven to be their weakness. Many beam falls last year could have been avoided and may have made the difference in the score of many of the meets. Not many gymnasts were able to throw flipping vaults last year, which was proven to be the downfall of their scores.

Areas that need improvement: The team needs to post higher difficulty scores if they are looking to be competitive.

Outlook: With the combination of Dean, Drum and Lein, the veteran side of the team is set. With many new faces to the team with club experience, the team should look to be on track to have a much better year.