A cloud of gym chalk dust fills the air as a group of girls gets ready to perform on the bars. Fellow teammates watch on the side, clapping and cheering on teammates who have become friends.

This familiarity doesn’t occur simply overnight through the passing of tryouts. Instead, these bonds are built through the team’s hosting of various bonding activities.

Senior captain Kayla Johnson, an all-around gymnast who participates in vault, bars, beam, and floor, states, “We always do pasta parties, and we make bows to wear in our hair. We’re a small team, so we get super close throughout the season.”

Along with this, the team also seems to participate in social media trends, so they can all become closer together through fun challenges popular on platforms such as TikTok. Johnson recounts one of her favorite team memories, being part of the candy salad trend in which they all participated.

Another senior captain who specializes in floor and beam, Kellah Orellana, adds on to this by expressing that one of her favorite team traditions is getting Dunkin’ before a meet.

A noticeable difference between attending gymnastics at a regular gym and Foran’s gymnastics lies in both the experience and perspective that Foran’s gymnastics has to offer.

Another senior captain, Gianna Cappozzi, is also an all-rounder who competes in vault, beam, and bars, states, “Foran gymnastics is such an experience. Our practices are late and can be tough to keep ourselves going, but with such a close-knit team, it makes it worth it. With that, we are a very close team and are all friends, which I love, and our coaches are just like friends.”

Johnson adds to this, claiming that since the team is so small, each member is able to offer a variety of different skill levels.

Perhaps the girls owe part of their bond to their coach, Dina Sklanka, who’s been passionate about the sport since she was a child.

Sklanka states, “Gymnastics has always been my outlet, and I love that I can continue helping this generation of gymnasts succeed at the sport they love.”

As the gymnastics season comes to a close, the team’s bond will continue to remain strong until next year.

And to the seniors, Sklanka leaves one final message, “I’m so proud of all they have accomplished both inside and outside the gym. I know that they will continue to work hard in everything they do and accomplish great things in the next chapter of their lives.”