Huntington Gymnast is All-League
While Huntington High School has not fielded a girls’ gymnastics team in three decades, Blue Devil freshman Emily Williams earned All-League honors in the sport after practicing at Walt Whitman and then representing her school as an individual competitor.
Williams’ season went very well, although it took her a while to adapt to the thickness of the floor exercise mats. “She really enjoyed herself,” said Michelle Williams, the teenager’s mother.
Huntington High School discontinued its girls’ gymnastics team many years ago during a period when scholastic and college teams across the state and nation began to disappear. Today only a small group of Section XI schools compete in the sport with the college ranks equally thinned.
Since Huntington does not sponsor a gymnastics team, an agreement was reached with the South Huntington School District to permit Ms. Williams to practice with Walt Whitman and then represent the Blue Devils as a Section XI individual competitor.
“I was honored to represent Huntington High School as the only gymnast,” Ms. Williams said. “I am thankful to the Walt Whitman coaches for allowing me to practice and compete alongside their team while representing Huntington. “It was a great experience.”
Walt Whitman High School’s gymnastics program is among a select group that held on in Suffolk and it has continued to thrive through the years. Huntington was assessed a $265 fee by Section XI to allow Ms. Williams to compete.
“I was honored to receive an All-League award in my first [high school] season,” Ms. Williams said.