OF 24 GYMNASTS TO COMPETE USAG LEVEL FOUR
The Coaching Staff of Jacksonville Gymnastics USAG Junior Olympic Competitive Team announces the advancement of twenty-four gymnasts to Level Four. The gymnasts were tested this week and had to show that they were able to accomplish 75% of the required USAG Level Four skills. The gymnasts, from Beebe, Ward, Cabot, Sherwood, North Little Rock and Jacksonville, are:
Jessica Bormann, Emily Burgan, Sabrina Barger, Ashton Bussard, Kaitlin Deaton, Breanna Edwards, Kimberly Edwards, Rachel Flippen, Taylor Green, Ashley Harmon, Hayley Henley, Stevie Hughes, Janey’a Hutton, Darby Lottner, Kaylen Perkins, Natalie Ruiz-Castillo, Terionna Stewart, Alex Taylor, Hannah Taylor, Katherine Taylor, Katie Trujillo, Lynzie Van Brocklin, Savannah Wade and Lexi Webb.
The gymnasts will join the sixty-three gymnasts who competed with the team last year. During the summer, all of the gymnasts will train nine to sixteen hours each week at their home gym at Huff ‘n Puff. The gymnasts will work to perfect their skills at their present competing level or will work on new skills to compete in the fall at the next level. Level Six, Seven and Eight gymnasts will train in the morning hours and the Level Four and Five gymnasts will train in the afternoon hours.
The twenty-four new Level Four gymnasts will join the twenty-three Level Four gymnasts from the 2004-2005 season; however, many of these gymnasts have already begun to train at Level Five. Jacksonville Gymnastics had one of the largest Level Four competing teams in Arkansas and were undefeated two years in a row in the state.
The coaching staff at Huff ‘n Puff is under the direction of Head Coach Laurel Spears, who formed the team almost seven years ago. The coaching staff members for the competitive team are: Erin Wunderl, Kelly Adams, Stacy Holloman, Christy Ellis, Lois Bryan, and Amanda Heflin. Mr. Bobby Churches, the head recreational instructor, coached most of these newest gymnasts and strengthened and trained them to be able to advance to the next level. Jacksonville Gymnastics will begin competing Level Three gymnasts this year and Ms. Laurel Spears, Mr. Churches and Ms. Holloman will be the coaches who will train this level.
Several of the coaching staff members will travel to Louisville, Kentucky, in early June to attend a three-day seminar, where they will learn the new music and new routines as required by USAG. Every four years, the music is changed and every eight years, the routines are changed for each level, with most of the levels requiring more difficult skills than during the previous eight years.
Many of the team members will join Ms. Laurel in mid-June as they travel to their week-long summer training session at the Bela Karolyi gymnastics camp outside Houston, Texas.
