Annandale native Sarah Zieska is the new Cardinal gymnastics coach.
Zieska takes over for Nicole Green, who was the Cardinals’ head coach for 11 seasons. Green resigned as head coach last spring in order to spend more time with her children and their athletic pursuits.
Zieska, the daughter of Mike and Vickie Zieska, has been involved in gymnastics since she was about 3 years old. She followed her mother and two older sisters as Cardinal gymnasts.
Zieska was a 2010 Annandale High School graduate and was a Cardinal gymnast from seventh grade through 12th grade. As a senior, Zieska received all-state honorable mention for the beam, floor exercise and all-around and was named All-Wright County Conference for the 2009-10 season.
Zieska attended Northland Technical College in East Grand Forks, where she trained to be a physical therapist assistant. While attending college she was the head coach of the Grand Forks Knightrider Gymnastics team, which included gymnasts in grades seven through 12 from Red River, Central, East Grand Forks, and Thompson high schools. In 2011 Knightrider attended the Annandale Holiday Invitational.
For the past year Zieska has coached Extreme Gymnastics, an Annandale-Maple Lake Community Education gymnastics program for young girls kindergarten through sixth grade.
"Four of these girls will be seventh graders this year," Zieska said. "They have lots of potential and will give some of the varsity players a run for the money."
The team just started practice a week ago, so it is a little early for Zieska to have goals set for the team’s 2014-15 season, but she is optimistic.
Unfortunately, senior Alyssa Fladebo, who qualified for state last year, will not be competing in the 2014-15 season due to an injury.
"Obviously, every team has the goal of getting to the state meet," Zieska said. "I don’t know if that is realistic or not, but it is a goal. Certainly, we have some very talented gymnasts that have the potential to qualify to state as individuals."
Zieska sees the vault and floor exercise to be the strengths of this Annandale team.
"The beam is probably our weakest, and we will work hard to improve," Zieska said.
In years past the junior high gymnasts would practice separately from the varsity and junior varsity.
"This year it will be one big team, everyone practicing together," Zieska said. "I really want this team to work together, support each other."
Assisting Zieska this year will be Robbie Meyer, assistant coach and spotter; Danielle Leinonen, a 2012 Annandale graduate, assistant coach; and Ann Gross, assistant coach.