Gymnastics beat: Massapequa's depth a key

The Massapequa gymnastics team, like fingers on a hand, isn't about one spectacular gymnast, but a collection of well-balanced, well-functioning talent.

This year, that hand is becoming a fist.

The Chiefs are 5-0, most recently beating powerhouse Oceanside, 158.75-155.45 on Friday. All the while, Massapequa has made a name for itself as much as for incredible depth as its seasoned, solid play.

"They've been working together and there's no star," coach Mike Capone said. "The six of them score very well and you can pick any five of the six when they're on."

The six: Jessica Realmuto, the lone senior, Kim Blaskey, a junior, Brianna Saba, Katie Wall, Jessica Romano and Briana Wick, all sophomores, have turned Massapequa into a formidable force. They, along with fellow standout Tiffany Philippou have allowed the Chiefs to thrive even through a difficult schedule. Because of bad weather, Massapequa, much like the rest of Nassau gymnastics, has found itself scrambling and cramming in a number of makeup matches in a short period of time.

The Chiefs have had three matches in the past two weeks and will have four more beginning Tuesday and spanning to Feb. 1, where they take on a strong Plainview JFK team.

"The girls are worn out," Capone said. "They're going to be tired, but thank God we can rotate people through."

Until then, Massapequa can rest on its well-fought win against Oceanside, last year's county champs. Wall took second with an 8.65 on the vault and Romano chipped in an 8.7 on the beam and 8.4 on the bars.

"[The match] lets them see how much experience they've gained over the years," Capone said. "They've performed very well and they were under the gun with Oceanside. Again, it goes back to the old cliche, you've gotta beat all of us."