Freshmen Macay, Martin push SBHS to next level

By: Rich Fisher
   Back in 2002, when Jess Macay and Shannon Martin first became friends, no one knew at the time they would be the missing ingredient that would propel South Brunswick into the upper echelon of New Jersey high school gymnastics.
   They were just a couple of fifth-graders, hanging out and honing their skills.
   "She was in one of my classes (at Indian Fields School), and then she came to Arena (gymnastics club) and we became good friends," Macay said.
   When the two freshmen arrived at SBHS this fall, they became part of a program that was already solid with standout sophomore Marisa Liptak and a slew of talented seniors, including Jess’s sister Carissa.
   It was a nucleus that had danced on the fringes of success but did not have the depth to enter the next level. Macay and Martin provided that depth.
   Granted, South Brunswick still has not won anything. It was second in the Greater Middlesex Conference, it was second in the GMC championship meet and it was second in last Saturday’s Central Jersey 2 sectional meet.
   The reason it has yet to win, is that it is always in the same group as Bishop Ahr. That’s like entering every longest-drive contest possible with Tiger Woods.
   History will look upon this particular Trojan team as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, in New Jersey history. It’s the Vikings luck to be their bridesmaid at every big event.
   But no other team besides the Trojans outscored the Vikings in sectional competition. If anyone will be counted on to thwart Bishop Ahr’s chance at a fourth straight state title, it’s South Brunswick.
   SBHS qualified for the state meet as a team for the first time, thanks to three individual all-around qualifiers. Two of them are Martin and Jess Macay.
   "Absolutely," coach Erika Casey said, when asked if those two put her program over the top. "Without Jess and Shannon, whether it was their all-around effort or just their individual efforts through the entire season, we definitely used their two scores in our top three to go with our team totals.
   "They always came up strong for us. They had mistakes like everyone else, but they have a history of strong competition behind them and they had the experience to secure a spot in the states that we’ve been looking for."
   Martin was on a cruise and could not be reached for comment for this article, but she and Jess both started gymnastics at a young age.
   "I wanted to do it because Carissa was doing it," Jess said laughing. "I was jealous of her so I wanted to do it."
   She and Martin came up the ranks as club gymnasts and even last year, Casey was talking about the talented 8th-grade class she had at Crossroads.
   Upon arriving at high school, Macay had a good supports system, between the Vikings large freshman class and her older sister. Jess and Martin were standouts all season, and peaked with their effort at sectionals.
   "They’re good, they’ve been under that pressure before," Casey said. "But to be in state finals in all-around as a freshman, it’s huge. It’s a big accomplishment."
   Macay took second place in beam with a 9.475, and finished with a 36.000 to just make it as an all-around qualifier.
   "I definitely surprised myself on beam, I didn’t think I did that good, I felt like I was wobbling," Macay said. "But my vault wasn’t so good.
   "My goal was just to nail everything and do the best I can. I wasn’t quite sure how I did, but I was really excited when I found out."
   Macay is used to pressure from her club meets, but this was a different kind of pressure.
   "This is more of the team counting on you, rather than just you as an individual," she said. "Actually, I thought I would be more nervous than I was."
   Martin was even more impressive, finishing with a 36.65 in all-around and tying Liptak for the school vault record with a 9.55.
   "Jess and Shannon gave me pretty much what I hoped for," Casey said. "I had them in eighth grade so I kind of knew what they’d be doing in high school. They go home in the summer, they push each other, and they knew at the beginning of the season what kind of skills they’d need in order to stand out.
   "They’re both hard workers, they’ve definitely had emotional ups and downs throughout the season. But like Ellise (Kaplowitz) and Marisa, they’re fighters. They want it, they want to be there. They’re young, they’re learning to be part of a mature team. We have 10 seniors and 10 freshmen, and they’re fighting for it because you can see they want to be a part of going to states."
   They’re part of it, all right.
   A huge part.