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Hot Springs Gymnastics hosted it's sixth annual Pepsi Challenge Meet this weekend at the Lake Hamilton Junior High School and Jacksonville Gymnastics has attended the meet each year since it began. Three Hundred eighty-one gymnasts, competing at Levels two - ten representing eighteen teams from Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee attended the three-day meet. We wish to thank Hot Springs Gymnastics coaches and parents for hosting such a fun and efficiently run meet.
It really was a great meet and Jacksonville Gymnastics Team did very well. The meet for Jacksonville Gymnastics began Friday night and continued through the entire day Saturday. Thirty-nine Level Two gymnasts and 33 more Level Four gymnasts competed on Sunday.
Eighty Level Three gymnasts from eleven teams, including the thirteen Level Three gymnasts from the home team, competed Friday night. The Jacksonville Gymnastics competing gymnasts. ages five to eleven, were Kaylin Braughton, Lexi Brown, Caitlin Culpepper, Chandler Dean, Sydney Fortson, Scarlett Fredric, Shelby Haver, Julia Hughes, Iona Kegler, Mayla Spoon, Elizabeth Thornhill, Carson White and Meia Young. The gymnasts did such a good job and earned a great score. The following gymnasts earned top (first, second or third) all-around honors:
Elizabeth Thornhill age seven First All-Around
Lexi Brown age seven Second All-Around
Mayla Spoon age seven Third All-Around
Julia Hughes age eight Second All-Around
These smiling Level Three gymnasts, along with three other teammates not shown, very successfully competed Friday night at the Pepsi Challenge Meet. Shown here in the front row, from left to right, are Carson White, Shelby Haver, Mayla Spoon and Caitlin Culpepper. In the back row, left to right, are Meia Young, Chandler Dean, Sydney Fortson, Elizabeth Thornhill, Scarlett Fredric and Lexi Brown.
Another pose of the Level Three Gymnasts - front row from left to right are Caitlin Culpepper, Shelby Haver and Carson White. Back row, left to right are Scarlett Fredric, Elizabeth Thornhill, Chandler Dean, Meia Young, Sydney Fortson, Lexi Brown, and Julia Hughes.
The Level Four Meet was held Saturday morning at 8:00 and it was large - 85 gymnasts from twelve teams, including the ten Level Four gymnasts from Jacksonville Gymnastics. The gymnasts had a good meet and came up over three and a half points after their first meet of the season. The team won the Third-Place Team Trophy. Only four team awards were given and the other three were won by Louisiana teams. These gymnasts, ages six to twelve comprise the Level Four Team: Madison Dixon, Melanie Fortson, Catherine Hancock, Reagan Hodson, Macey Jasmin, Breanna Orr, Gracie Petefish, Graycyn Powers, Taylor Stauffer and Alex Wargo. The following gymnasts won top all-around awards:
Reagan Hodson age seven Second All-Around
Graycyn Powers age seven Third All-Around
Gracie Petefish age ten Third All-Around
Breanna Orr age twelve Third All-Around
Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Four Gymnasts with their Third-Place Team Trophy, for which they had competed so hard. From left to right, front row, are Reagan Hodson, Macey Jasmin, Gracie Petefish and Melanie Fortson. Back row, left to right, are Taylor Stauffer, Catherine Hancock, Graycyn Powers, Breanna Orr, Alex Wargo and Madison Dixon.
Competing in the mid-day session, which began at 1:00, were Level Five Gymnasts and Level Seven Gymnasts. Sixteen of the eighteen-member Jacksonville Level Five Team members competed with 66 Level Five gymnasts from thirteen teams, and the Jacksonville Team won the First-Place Team Trophy. Competing for Jacksonville were Sara Balenko, Madison Barnhill, Miranda Chambers, Daliaana Gonzalez, Sara Heil, Olivia Hodson, Courtney Jackson, Mollie Johnson, Jenna Mecca, Lauren Osburn, Jadyn Perkins, Sarah Seibel, Sydney Shumate, Allison Tubbs, Cambrie Wade, and Rachel Wyrick. These gymnasts range in age from eight to thirteen.
Winning top all-around honors were:
Allison Tubbs age 8 First Place All-Around
Miranda Chambers age 10 Second Place All-Around
Sarah Seibel age 10 First Place All-Around
Sydney Shumate age 11 First Place All-Around
Madison Barnhill age 13 First Place All-Around
These very proud Level Five gymnasts did a great job of competing to win this First-Place Trophy. All of our groups are fun to watch, but these gymnasts compete hard and enjoy competing. Front row, left to right are Olivia Hodson, Courtney Jackson and Allison Tubbs. Second row, left to right, are Jenna Mecca, Sara Heil, Molly Johnson, Jadyn Perkins, Daliaana Gonzalez and Rachel Wyrick. Top row, left to right, are Sydney Shumate, Sarah Seibel, Sara Balenko, Miranda Chambers, Lauren Osburn, Cambrie Wade and Madison Barnhill.
Also competing in the mid-day session were fourteen Level Seven gymnasts from seven teams, including four of the six-member Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Seven team. Competing Saturday were Jordan Rogers, Lynzie VanBrocklin, Jessica McDonough and Stephanie Singleton. Rachel Flippen was also there to cheer on her team members. Rachel will be able to compete again in around January - she had a small bone chip in her heel that she had to have surgically repaired. The team won the First-Place Team Trophy and the following gymnasts won top honors:
Lynzie VanBrocklin age eleven First-Place All-Around
Jessica McDonough age fourteen Second-Place All-Around
From left to right are Lynzie VanBrocklin, Jordan Rogers, Jessica McDonough, Stephanie Singleton and Rachel Flippen. The team worked very hard to win this First-Place Team Trophy.
Jacksonville Gymnasts - Levels Six, Eight, Nine and Ten - waiting to be introduced for their evening session. This was a very impressive sight.
Competing in the evening session, which began at 6:00 were Levels Six, Eight, Nine and Ten. This was a really fun session but kept us very busy just trying to keep up with scores and trying to watch each event - we had gymnasts on three events at once and sometimes the events would coincide - and at several times, we had all three events going at once while we tried to watch each gymnast at their event, while also trying to keep an eye on the scoreboard. Well, we managed and our teams of Level Six, Level Eight and Level Nine each won the First-Place Team awards. (Note: it takes the scores of three gymnasts to make a team score.)
There were 33 Level Six gymnasts from ten teams who competed at this session. Competing at Level Six for Jacksonville Team were Sabrina Barger, Sarah Beavers, Abby Houghtaling, Briyana Isaac, Anna Koehler, Reagan Lear, Allison Ramsey, Sierra Rohauer, Skylar Spaeth, Madi Spears, and Shelby Yates. The Level Six gymnasts range in age from nine to thirteen.
Winning top honors for our Level Six Team were:
Madi Spears age eleven Second Place All-Around
Shelby Yates age eleven Third Place All-Around
Reagan Lear age thirteen First Place All-Around
Sabrina Barger age thirteen Second Place All-Around
The Jacksonville parents could probably be heard in Hot Springs when Briyanna Isaac scored a 9.825 on her vault and Reagan Lear scored a 9.725 on her vault. They both had really great (fantastic too much?) vaults and it is so much fun to see the gymnasts earn scores for which they have worked so hard for so many years - not just the year that they have been at their current level, but it takes years for a gymnast to achieve these different levels. This is especially true of our optional gymnasts who have spent most of their lives working hard at least four days out of the five school day-week working on these various skills while conditioning, conditioning, conditioning. And it is absolutely amazing to see what they can do - they defy gravity!!!!
Level Six is a very difficult level and many states don't even compete Level Six because they just find it too hard. I think that is why we are so proud of our Level Six team because they have persevered to be at this level. Front row gymnasts from left to right are Briyana Isaac, Shelby Yates, Allison Ramsey and Madi Spears. Second and back row, left to right are Sabrina Barger, Abby Houghtaling, Sierra Rohauer, Anna Koehler, Reagan Lear, Sarah Beavers and Skylar Spaeth.
There were eleven Level eight gymnasts from five teams, which included the Jacksonville Team Level Eight gymnasts who range in age from ten to thirteen. Competing for Jacksonville Team at Level Eight are Tonie Butler, Mackenzie Ellis, Kendra Lytch and Katelin McLain. Each of these gymnasts has been a State All-Around Champion in past years and some of them for several years. The gymnasts won the Level Eight Team trophy and they won the following individual top honors:
Kendra Lytch age twelve First Place All-Around
Mackenzie Ellis age eleven Second Place All-Around
Katelin McLain age thirteen First Place All-Around
(Tonie would have placed in All-Around also, but she was unable to compete her vault as she had become ill - she was also unavailable for the team photo.)
Level Eight gymnasts Kendra Lytch, Mackenzie Ellis and Katelin McLain pose here with their First-Place Team Trophy.
There were sixteen Level Nine gymnasts from seven teams who also competed in the evening session, including the six Level Nine Gymnasts from the Jacksonville Team. The Jacksonville Team Level Nine members, who range in age from twelve to eighteen, are Haley Edgin, Kimmie Edwards, Courtney Ellis, Tori Hanley, Taylor Rai Johnson and Sarah McAlister. These gymnasts also won the First-Place Team Trophy.
Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Nine Team members from left to right are Taylor Rai Johnson, Tori Hanley, Haley Edgin, Sarah McAlister, Courtney Ellis and Kimmie Edwards. We are so proud of these gymnasts!!! They work so hard to achieve their skills and I have to say, I work really hard to get a photo of all of them together!!!!
This is my usual photo of the Level Nine Team members!!!!!
Winning top honors for Level Nine were the following team gymnasts:
Haley Edgin age 12 First Place All-Around
Courtney Elliis age 14 Second Place All-Around
Tori Hanley age 15 First Place All-Around
Sarah McAlister age 18 Second Place All-Around
And there were four Level Ten gymnasts from four teams who also competed at this evening session.
Jacksonville Gymnastic First Level Ten Gymnast - Kayla Edgin
As you can see - this was taken at our home gym. My only excuse for missing this historic event - our first Level Ten gymnast competing at her first meet as a Level Ten - was that I was so busy trying to take photos of Level Six, Level Eight and Level Nine teams and First All-around pictures, that I completely forgot to take one of Kayla. My sincerest apologies to Kayla. She had a great meet.
I started a tradition last year of honoring our First Place All-Around gymnasts at each meet by putting their pictures on the web article for the meet and those pictures and action shots for Pepsi Challenge are shown on Page Two.
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