The Central girls gymnastics team hopes its next trip to Salem High School has a different ending.

On Thursday, Feb. 5, Central managed 128.7 points to finish ahead of Keene, but fell to Salem’s score of 132.2 and Pinkerton’s 130.85.

Pinkerton and Salem are the only teams Central has lost to this season, something head coach Meg Norklun wants her team to change on Feb. 21, the date of the state meet hosted by Salem High School.

“They’ve done really well so far this season, but we haven’t really had one meet where everyone has hit at the same time,” said Norklun of the Little Green gymnasts.

On Feb. 5, Ainsley Smith continued her strong campaign, winning the all-around for the fourth time in five meets.

Smith placed first on the vault and beam, as well as second on the bars, earning the top individual score in the all-around with a 35.6, defeating Salem’s Leeann Vadala, who managed 35.2 points.

One of the team’s strengths entering the match was its floor routines, but on Feb. 5 it was the only category in which the team did not place an individual among the top three.

“We’ve been performing consistently well on the floor and on the vault,” said. Norklun. “It has been the bars and the beam where we’ve struggled at times.”

In addition to Smith, Sarah Conley has performed well this season in the all-around, said Norklun, and Conley should play a big role in the state competition as well.

Salem has won the last two titles and 15 overall, but Norklun said her team doesn’t think about its opponents, but rather its own scores.

“When you compare yourselves to someone else, that’s when you tend to shoot yourselves in the foot,” said Norklun. “We try to focus on ourselves. Our goal is to do as well as we can … That is what has worked for us in the past.”