Gymnasts will tumble, flip and vault their way across local gyms this winter season.

At Kentlake the Falcons have a new leader.

At Kentwood, the team is young.

WORDS TO LIVE BY

Carissa Payseno, 18, has a motto that helps her perform well under pressure.

“Don’t think, just go.”

The Kentlake High School senior says she learned this from years of competing in gymnastics and she plans on applying it this year as she competes for her school’s team.

“Sometimes when you’re up there in front of everyone at a meet, you just reach a mental block,” Payseno said. “So, I always put mind over matter and chant this to myself.”

Carissa Payseno has been doing gymnastics since she was 3 years old  and competing at state competitions for seven years through various clubs.

“I first fell in love with gymnastics after seeing my cousin performing when I was young,” Carissa Payseno said. “I told my mom I wanted to do it after that meet and have been doing it ever since.”

This is her first year competing at Kentlake. Carissa Payseno was unable to compete last year when she transferred to the school, due to WIAA regulations surrounding transfers, but she practiced with the team for that year even though she didn’t participate in meets.

“I like being part of a high school team more than just competing at a club,” she said. “We have such a great group of girls this year and it feels great to have them cheer me on.”

Gymnastics Coach Marla Boyd said Carissa Payseno is a huge asset to the team.

“Carissa has become an amazing team leader and a contributor to the team score typically on floor and beam,” Boyd said.

Carissa Payseno can shine on the balance beam, the bars and the vaults, but her favorite gymnastics activity is tumbling. She won best all-around tumbler at nationals last year.

“I love the fact that floor exercise allows you to be more creative,” Carissa Payseno said. “I get to pick my own music and put my personality into each move.”

Her mother, Judy Payseno, said Carissa has always worked hard.

“She is a perfectionist and is ridiculously dedicated to her sport,” Judy Payseno said. “She would never miss practice unless someone tied her down and made her miss it. She just enjoys it so much.”

Carissa Payseno believes working hard and getting better is more important than trophies.

“Every time I compete, I’m just looking to do better than I did last time and maybe acquire a new skill,” she said.

This attitude has taken Carissa Payseno far.

“She has gone a lot farther than we both ever dreamed of when she was little,” Judy Payseno said. “It’s been an emotional ride, lots of highs and lows, but I am so proud of her.”

Carissa Payseno has high hopes for her Kentlake teammates this year.

“Everyone on the team is so talented and has a great work ethic,” she said. “I want us to try out best, give it all we got and just continue acting like a team.”

Carissa Payseno doesn’t think she’ll compete on a gymnastics college team next year, but she knows she’ll always continue the sport on her own time.

“I love it,” she said. “This is a talent and a passion I’ll always have.”

KENTWOOD

For a team of beginners, Kentwood High School’s gymnasts have had a great start to the season.

“The girls are progressing and doing better and better each meet,” said Ann Diaz, head coach. “We only have two girls out of 30 that have ever competed before, so we have a lot of work to do.”

The team scored an overall total of 129 at their first meet Nov. 30 against Thomas Jefferson, Kentwood and Federal Way. They tallied a score of 137 against Rogers, Decatur and Puyallup at the latest meet Dec. 7.

“It’s really difficult to teach the girls everything they need to know for a meet in a little amount of time,” Diaz said. “We had less than a month to teach a bunch of new people gymnastics and it wasn’t easy. Gymnastics isn’t something you can just walk in off the street and master — you have to be cautious about what you’re doing because if you miss a step, injuries happen.”

An added challenge is sharing gym space at Kentwood with the Conquerors’ wrestling squad. Still, the girls work around it.

“What’s helpful is that they all have good attitudes and are willing to learn,” Diaz said. “I told them that I don’t care what happens, I just want them to have fun, learn something and get better.”

Sophomore Zoe Bregham is the team’s leader so far, scoring 14 points the first meet and 15 the next. She competed in club gymnastics for several years before high school.

“She’s a solid gymnast, but she got a little freaked out the first meet,” Diaz said. “She felt that she was having to compete against people that were much better than her, I told her they probably felt the same way about her. She ended up doing a great job.”

Bregham said her coach and her team’s encouragement helped her do well.

“Personally, we all did pretty good at the last two meets and accomplished all the goals we made,” Bregham said. “As a team we really connected during those meets because we cheered everyone.”

Bregham thinks her team will continue to get better.

“I think people that are new to gymnastics will pick up the sport and all that goes with it really soon,” she said. “I am most looking forward to getting to know my teammates and having fun with everyone.”