Coach Deary-

Fillmore goes

out in style

By Ron P. Coderre

The Woodstock Academy gymnastics team with Paige Stuyniski and Grace Logan leading the way gave retiring coach Robin Deary-Fillmore yet one more gift on her way out as the Centaurs captured the State Open Championship for the fourth consecutive year.  Woodstock finished with a team score of 148.3 ahead of second-place finisher Southington with a total of 140.325.

Last week the Centaur gymnasts won the Class S title.  The Open championship was the second leg of what Woodstock hopes will close out Deary-Fillmore’s career in style – a New England Championship.  The trifecta is well within the Centaurs grasp.

The highlight of the Open meet was a near-perfect Floor exercise performance by sophomore Stuyniski.  Her routine garnered her a score of 9.875 on a total of 10.  Her performance on the Floor set a State record.  Her teammate Logan finished second in the Floor with a score of 9.725.  To cap off the Floor, Woodstock’s Nicolette Deary was third (9.525) and Jordan Fulchino was fifth (9.4).

Stuyniski walked off with the All-Around individual crown, posting a score of 38.7.  She was followed by Logan at 37.625.

Logan finished first in the Vault with a performance that was recorded at 9.55, while Stuyniski was third at 9.5.  On the Bars, Stuyniski was second (9.525) and Logan third (9.5).  Stuyniski was also first on the Beam with a score of 9.8.

This week the Centaur gymnasts are off to Pinkerton Academy Field House in Derry, New Hampshire to defend their New England Championship.  Deary-Fillmore has experienced her final Connecticut Class competition, her final Connecticut Open competition, with one final competition remaining.

Next year Deary-Fillmore’s position as gymnastics coach at Woodstock Academy will be taken by her daughter, Kasey Fillmore, a former gymnast at Killingly High School and collegian at Bowling Green University.  

Win, lose or draw, a fitting tribute to Deary-Fillmore would be naming her to the Woodstock Academy Athletic Hall of Fame and also honoring her with a banner in Alumni Field House commemorating her tremendous and unmatched coaching career at Woodstock Academy.