Gymnastics flawlessly conduct back handsprings, cartwheels and kips while their black-and-pink-patterned leotards glisten underneath fluorescent lights. Teammates chatter as they dance along to and refine each other’s routines. For the members of the varsity gymnastics team, their dedication and passion is demonstrated in their routines, and their sense of unity goes beyond obligatory teamwork; they’ve worked to foster a close-knit community.

The varsity gymnastics team, consisting of 14 members, competed in their first meet on Jan. 11 after weeks of practice. The gymnastics team features students from Brookline High School and Westwood High School, as the two schools partner in a co-op arrangement that is renewed by both teams every two years.

Senior and captain Ella James Grossman said the co-op arrangement offers unique opportunities to improve gymnastics skills and prepare for meets against other schools.

“[The arrangement] is somewhat of a strange combination, as I’ve never been to Westwood or visited its high school. But it is still valuable to practice with people from a different town, and we often get to exercise skills we wouldn’t normally practice,” James Grossman said.

Sophomore and gymnast Christina Dupre, who has competed for the gymnastics team since her freshman year, said that despite attending different schools, there is great friendship between the Brookline and Westwood students.

“Unless we’re discussing what happened in school today, it would seem everyone attends the same school. I have friends on the team who attend school in Westwood, but I occasionally feel they are students at [Brookline High School] because the level of community present on the team is so great,” Dupre said.

Practicing three times per week, the gymnastics team hopes to capitalize on the successful past season, in which they placed fifth in the Bay State Games, a competition typically serving as the pinnacle of their season.

James Grossman said that the success they enjoyed last year was remarkable for the team and validated the team’s hard work.

“Placing fifth in Bay States was especially significant for us, as we’re usually towards the back-end [of the leaderboard],” James Grossman said. “We don’t have tryouts, so we often encourage students with no experience in gymnastics to compete for us.”

Senior and gymnast Makenzie Panzarino attributed the gymnastics team’s recent success to the sense of community on the team and said that despite the competitive nature of the season, the gymnastics team enjoys participating in meets.

“[Gymnastics] is open-ended and is a very accepting environment for gymnasts of all levels. We try to build a close community on the team, and I’ve had an excellent experience being part of it,” Panzarino said. “The season can get intense during January when our season really begins. But the meets are enjoyable, and it’s delightful to compete against other teams with more competitive natures.”

Dupre said that while gymnastics is an individual exercise, the gymnastics team has been able to encourage teammates to work together and celebrate each other’s skills.

“In terms of competing, I believe that [gymnastics] is an individual sport, and I’ve always respected that because I like my performances to be judged off of the quality I offer, not anyone else’s performances,” Dupre said. “But our team does a wonderful job of feeding off one another, and we motivate each other to perform better than we thought we could.”

James Grossman also said that during the season, the gymnastics team uses meets as opportunities to build community and enhance skills.

“Some meets – we call them ‘opportunity meets’ – are fun for the whole team because we accept that we’re not going to win, and that’s OK, so we try out new routines we wouldn’t normally present. Our team gets excited, and we even memorize parts of our teammates’ routines so we can dance along,” James Grossman said.

Despite the great sense of community within the team, Dupre said that most students aren’t aware that the high school has a gymnastics team.

“[Gymnastics] is not very advertised. In emails or the Brookline Superfans page, no one hears about the gymnastics team, and many people don’t pay attention to gymnastics as a sport,” Dupre said.

James Grossman said she attributes the lack of awareness of the varsity gymnastics team to the sport not being as accessible for students at the high school to watch.

“Gymnastics is not geared toward spectators, unlike mainstream sports like basketball, soccer or football,” James Grossman said. “While the gymnastics team is fun to watch, our season is difficult to follow, as our meets are held in venues far away from the high school without as much space to watch.”

Dupre said she looks forward to continue competing for the gymnastics team and seeing how the team will improve.

“I’m looking forward to our team working and competing together like we did last year, which made last year one of the best in the history of the gymnastics program,” Dupre said. “I’m excited for everyone to bond, compete and have fun with gymnastics.”