JACKSONVILLE GYMNASTICS SWEEPS WEST MEMPHIS MEET TO BRING HOME THREE-FIRST-PLACE TEAM TROPHIES
The Huff ‘n Puff gymnastics team, Jacksonville Gymnastics USAG Junior Olympic Competitive Team, brought home the three top first-place team trophies at the meet they attended Saturday, Nov 13. The meet, hosted by Delta Gymnastics in West Memphis, was held in two sessions for Levels Four, Five and Six. Gymnasts from eleven teams from Arkansas and Tennessee attended the meet. The Jacksonville Gymnastics team represents not only Jacksonville but also central Arkansas as team members are from Benton, Little Rock, Maumelle, North Little Rock, Sherwood, Cabot, Ward and Beebe.
Gymnastics teams are divided into levels. Most teams begin competing at Level Four, although some gyms compete Level Three gymnasts. The Jacksonville Gymnastics Team consists of 63 members who are divided by competing levels--four, five, six, seven and eight--and each level is further divided by age. Thus at each competing level, gymnasts are competing against same age gymnasts. Awards are given for each age bracket on each level for each of the four events—vault, uneven bars, beam and floor exercise. The scores are then totaled for each gymnast’s four events and this determines the all-around individual scores. (A gymnast may not win first place in any of the four events but may still win the all-around because that gymnast’s scores were high enough on individual events to total the top score for all-around.)
Team scores for each level are then determined by taking the top three scores (all ages) for each of the four events. Each gymnast’s score may contribute to the total winning score. The team placements are then determined by these total scores. Team scores for the Jacksonville teams ranged Saturday from 106 to 109 to win the first-place trophies.
Fifteen gymnasts of the 22-member Level Four Team competed in the first session and won the First-place trophy. At this meet the Level Four Team consisted of eleven brand-new competing gymnasts and four experienced gymnasts. The following gymnasts won top individual all-around awards: age seven, Bailea Jones, First place in her first meet; age seven, Kendra Lytch, Second;
age ten, Kelsy Founds, Second; age eleven, Caitlyn Dillon, First; and age 12, Meagan Trotter, First.
Ten gymnasts of the thirteen-member Level Five Team competed Saturday to win the First-Place Level Five Team Trophy. Top individual all-around awards were presented to the following gymnasts: age seven, Erica West, First; age seven, Haley Edgin, Second; age eight, Mackenzie Powers, Second; age eleven, April Pitts, First. Eleven of the thirteen gymnasts are first-year competitors at Level Five.
Eight gymnasts of the ten-member Level Six Team also competed Saturday to win the First-Place Level Six Team Trophy. All but one of the Level Six members are first-year competitors at this level. Individual all-around top honors were awarded to: age nine, Reagan Bennett, First; age eleven Kierra Daniel, Second; and age thirteen, Audrey Nettles, who won first in all four events to win first-place individual all-around with a total score of 36.15 (out of 40 points).
A new name, “The Mean, Green, Jacksonville Team” was bestowed upon the Jacksonville Team by the meet’s host as he handed out each level’s first-place team trophy to Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Team is one of the very few teams in Arkansas to wear green and have worn it since the team’s formation in 1998. The team will honor the name with pride as they wear their beautiful shiny newest green leotards.
The Level Seven and Eight team members have not yet had the opportunity to compete this season.
The Jacksonville Level Seven team members who range in age from nine to fifteen are: Bonnie Brown, Kayla Edgin, Sissy Ghormley, Allison Guthrie, Taylor Rai Johnson, Shannon Mavity, Taja’ Mitchem, Kaylyn Randolph, Missy Whittecar, Hannah Womack, Stephanie York and Frantasia Young. The Level Eight team members who range in age from eleven to sixteen are: Sarah McAlister, Emily West, Jessica Wilde and Meaghan Townsend.
All five levels of the Jacksonville Women’s Team will attend The Arkansas Pepsi Challenge, the Hot Springs-sponsored meet to be held at Ouachita Baptist University on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, December 10-11-12, 2004. This meet will also hold competitions for men’s gymnastics and cheerleading squads.
Five of the six young members of the Jacksonville Men’s Team will attend their very first competition on Saturday, Nov 20th in Conway. The team was just formed this summer and coaches and team members alike are excited about the new season.