BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio — The Brecksville-Broadview Heights Bees gymnastics team has been the epitome of success for quite some time. The legacy goes back more than two decades.
"These girls, the ones that were competing, hadn't even been born yet when the streak started," said head coach Maria Schneider.
It's a reality not lost on the girls on the team.
"It's so crazy. It started before I was even a thought, that's crazy," said senior Rachel Kirin, who competes in vault, beam and floor.
Earlier this month, the Bees traveled down to Hilliard, Ohio, for the Ohio High School Athletics Association's Gymnastics State Tournament. They had history and confidence on their side. For the last 22 years, the Bees had gone to states and won. This year was full of competition and some uncertainty.
"This year, there were quite a few strong teams. We were all kind of right within a few points of each other all season, especially up here in Northeast Ohio. We didn't know really what Columbus had, or Cincinnati or Toledo schools, but up here we knew of three schools that were right within a few points, so we knew we had to go out there and [compete]," Schneider said. "Every year is different. There's something new that the team has, its own chemistry and maybe the other teams aren't as strong, but it really just that day anything can happen. So if, God forbid, an injury happens or a girl falls on the beam or the bars, it can really just impact the whole outcome of the event. So for it to, one year, even if it's just a fraction of a point or then a couple of points, it still was, everything had to be set in motion and work out."
While the Bees entered having won the state championship for the last 22 years, it hasn't always been easy. The fraction of a point wasn't just a turn of phrase. A few years ago, it was the way Brecksville-Broadview Heights got it done.
"My sophomore year, we lost, well we thought we lost after our last event. We fully lost. We had a team chat. We were like 'It's alright, everything's going to be OK,' and then come to realize we won by a fraction of a point, which is so crazy, literally a toe point or a step on a dismount," said senior Kyla Haverdill, who competes in bars and beam.
Now, this year's event wasn't that close, but with stiff competition, the Bees set out on the same mission they have every year. With each event, the girls targeted scores to get them ahead and leave them comfortable for their final competition—floor.
"Going into the floor, our best event, always just have a party on the floor. We knew that we had to do our best and after the first four girls went, they got the scores we needed and so we're like, 'OK, we're good.' And then the last girls went and had a ball and we scored 9.7, which really secured it," Haverdill said.
With a strong performance rooted in the culture the Bees have worked decades to create, Brecksville-Broadview Heights won its 23rd straight state championship.
For seniors like Haverdill and Kirin, it ended their high school gymnastics career with nothing but wins.
"It means so much. I don't think I even realized how special that truly is just because, walking in on this team, we got to win all four years, but that's not a normal thing for a normal person to get to do. So just the opportunity to be on a team with such a strong legacy is just, I'm really grateful for that," Kirin said.
While of course much of the excitement was about keeping a two-decades-long title streak alive, for the Bees, it's more than that. It's keeping the culture and the legacy going for the next group of athletes to put their stamp on the program, and hopefully, bring home more hardware for the very full shelves of trophies.
"I just hope that they continue to believe in themselves, the girls that are competing, and I'm so excited to see them keep winning," Kirin said.
