ST. PAUL — For two freshmen, Brainerd Warriors Izzy Olson and Brenna Deason showed poise in the Class 2A State Individual Finals Saturday, Feb. 22, at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul.
Olson competed in the all-around for the first time while Deason competed on the floor and vault.
“It’s good for Brenna and I to represent Brainerd together because we are such a good duo,” Olson said.
Both competed at state last year and the confidence was there for both of them.
“We are just really confident when it comes to sections,” Deason said. “I think when we are here it’s just really fun.”
ADVERTISEMENT
With the state event being at a different venue than last year, Warriors head coach Tessa Poorker wanted to make sure both girls soaked it in.
“They both did some new events they didn’t do last year,” Poorker said. “Just getting the experience of that and in a new venue was really exciting.”
Olson started on the uneven bars and scored a 9.025. She felt it was her best performance of the day.
“I did not feel any pressure,” Olson said. “The only pressure I felt was maybe on bars because warm-up was a little rough. I ended up doing pretty well.
“Bars was my best event, and honestly, the Sartell girls talked to me before and told me to be confident. Once I hit my overshoot I knew it was going to be a good routine.”
Olson’s 9.025 landed her in 30th place.
Deason started on floor and made a small stumble, which made Poorker nervous.
“It was kind of a flukey thing,” Poorker said. “She is so powerful that we need to use her power more in her tumbling. I was a little nervous about her going into the vault after that hoping so was okay. She did a good job of finishing the floor. She did a new pass which we are excited about.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Deason recovered and scored a 9.175 on the floor for 40th. Olson finished 28th on the floor with a 9.350.
“I was a little disappointed,” Deason said. “I didn’t really do that in practice. I just kept doing my floor routine and hoping for the best.”
Deason earned all-state honors for the floor at the state banquet Thursday night.
Olson’s second event saw her take on the balance beam. It was there she scored an 8.975. It was the only event she did not score a 9 or higher.
The last event for both Olson and Deason was vault. Deason adjusted after her first vault scored 9.175.
“The first one she was a little crooked,” Poorker said. “So we knew we needed to make a change on the vault table and her landing was a little low. She knew what she needed to do. She has great form and the judges love it.”
She scored a 9.400 on her second vault, which went for 22th place.
“Me and Tessa have been working on it in practice,” Deason said of her vault. “Just keeping my hands and feet in the right position and getting my feet higher on the springboard. That’s mainly what we have been working on and I think that had a big impact on my score.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Olson used her first vault score of 9.350 which went for 29th place. Deason and Olson earned all-state honors on the vault at the state banquet Thursday night.
In the all-around, Olson finished 20th with a total score of 36.700.
“She got in her element when the competition started,” Poorker said of Olson. “That was fun to see. First time all-arounder at state as a freshman, she hit every routine. We are excited about the potential she has in the future for that.”
For both of them, two years of state down and three years left to make it back. They hope to harness the state feeling and get back next year.
“Just making it here is a really big achievement,” Deason said. “I have a lot to be thankful for.”
Results
Vault: 1-Bella Frattalone (Maht) 9.775, 22-Brenna Deason (Brd) 9.400, 29-Izzy Olson (Brd) 9.350
Uneven parallel bars: 1-Anna Altermatt (Lakeville North) 9.700, 30-Olson 9.025
Balance beam: 1-Nadia Abid (MG) 9.675, 28-Olson 8.975
Floor exercise: 1-Frattalone 9.825, 28-Olson 9.350, 40-Deason 9.175
All-around: 1-Frattalone 38.575, 20-Olson 36.700
ADVERTISEMENT
