Note: The January 4 season opener has been postponed.

With only six athletes on the roster, Newtown High School’s gymnastics team may end up having a tough time competing as a team but will look for some individual success this winter and the Nighthawks are excited to make the most of their opportunities.

“If everybody stays healthy I think we have a strong, small but mighty team,” Newtown Coach Kim Kane said.

Gymnastics squads need to have four representatives in each event — bars, floor, vault, and balance beam — to score in competitions. Newtown will rely on most of its team members competing in most if not all events to keep things interesting against opposing teams.

“That’s OK. It is what it is — you just kind of make do,” Kane said. “The biggest thing for me is trying to get these kids to have fun and really be able to enjoy this season. Last year we got through it, but week by week it was ‘are we going to compete?’”

The impact of the coronavirus left teams unsure if meets would be held at any given time throughout last winter. Kane is hopeful this season has few or no obstacles beyond what is already stacked against the Nighthawks.

In addition to having a small lineup, the Hawks enter with one gymnast recovering from injury whom they are hopeful will be set to compete at some point: freshman Kelsey Brennan.

Brennan is joined by freshmen Camden Hawk and Renee Chan. The other three team members are juniors who return with plenty of high school experience: Lauren Young, Addie Sullivan, and Cyrena Arokium — each of whom is an all-around competitor. With no seniors, the Nighthawks do not have captains but will lean on the juniors for leadership, Kane said.

The Hawks practice and host meets at Vasi’s International Gymnastics. They were to open the season Tuesday, January 4, with a visit to New Milford but the meet was postponed. NHS is slated to take on Nonnewaug and Joel Barlow at Vasi's on Monday, January 17, at 10 am.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.