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Making of Champions and What Are Little Girls Made of
Pepsi Challenge – A Fun and Successful Meet!!!
Hot Springs Gymnastics hosted its annual Pepsi Challenge Meet this weekend. Over four hundred gymnasts--ages five to eighteen--from over 23 teams from Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas competed in the five-session meet, which was held at Lake Hamilton Junior High School. The gymnasts, who ranged in age from five to eighteen years, competed at Levels Two through Ten, and this made for an especially fun meet.
Jacksonville Gymnastics, one of the largest teams in the state, competed 67 members of the 76 gymnasts on the team roster. It was a good weekend with the team bringing home three first-place, one second-place and one third-place team trophies, and additionally, eleven of our gymnasts brought home awards for first-place all-around. Team awards were not given at this meet for Level Three teams.
One session of the meet was held Friday night for fourteen Level Two gymnasts from two teams and 79 Level Four gymnasts from twelve teams. However, Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Four and Level Six gymnasts competed in the first session Saturday morning that began at the early hour of eight o’clock. A total of 67 Level Four gymnasts from seven teams competed in the morning session, along with 27 Level Six gymnasts from 11 teams.
Eighteen Jacksonville Level Four team members competed in that first session of the day and the Team won the First-Place Team Trophy. Unfortunately, not all the team members are shown in the photo because the team had been awarded their trophy, but photos weren’t made until after the Level Six team announcements and some of the team members had thought that the session was over with their award announcements. I apologize for not being able to catch all of the gymnasts. The gymnasts who proudly competed were Sydney Baggerly, Sarah Beavers, Miranda Chambers, Natalie Donley, Jessica Gardner, Sara Heil, Abby Houghtaling, Ashley Hudson, Briyana Isaac, Maggie Lee, Sydney McGill, Jadyn Perkins, Lakyn Powers, Allison Ramsey, Sierra Rohauer, Sarah Seibel, Skylar Spaeth and Mattie Taylor.
Since there were so many gymnasts of the same age competing, several of the age brackets were broken into separate flights of A and B.
In addition to winning the First-Place Trophy, the following gymnasts were awarded top individual all-around awards:
Allison Ramsey, age seven Second
Abby Houghtaling, age eight Flight A First
Sydney McGill, age eight Flight A Second
Sarah Beavers, age eight Flight A Third
Lakyn Powers, age eight Flight B Second
Miranda Chambers, age eight Flight B Third
Briyana Isaac, age ten First
Maggie Lee, age ten Second
Ashley Hudson, age ten Third
Jessica Gardner, age eleven Third
Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Four Team Members are shown here after winning the First-Place Team Trophy at their session of the 2007 Pepsi Challenge hosted by Hot Springs Gymnastics. Posing here front row, left to right, are Sarah Beavers, Sierra Rohauer, Miranda Chambers, Abby Houghtaling and Sara Heil. Proudly holding the trophy, from left to right, are Skylar Spaeth, Allison Ramsey, Mattie Taylor, and Natalie Donley. On the top back row, from left to right, are Ashley Hudson, Jadyn Perkins, Maggie Lee, Jessica Gardner and Briyana Isaac. Competing also but not shown here were Sydney Baggerly, Sydney McGill and Lakyn Powers.
My sincerest apologies to the parents for not being able to catch you to let you know that the team photo would still be taken after the Level Six Team Awards.
Jacksonville Gymnastics competed six of the 27 Level Six gymnasts, who also competed in the early morning session. Level Six is considered to be a very difficult level as gymnasts are being prepared at this level to compete as optional gymnasts (Level Seven and up). The Jacksonville team gymnasts proudly won the First-Place Team Trophy and the following top honors. Since there were fewer gymnasts competing, the age groups were consolidated for All-Around awards for this level and the Jacksonville team gymnasts won the following top awards.
Kendra Lytch, age ten First
Mackenzie Ellis, age nine Second
Tonie Butler, age eight Third
Stephanie Singleton, age thirteen Second
Carol Walters, age fifteen Third
These Level Six gymnasts are such a joy to watch. They work so hard and they are as proud of themselves for their accomplishments as we all are. From left to right, with their First-Place Team Trophy are Carol Walters, Stephanie Singleton, Tonie Butler, Kendra Lytch, Mackenzie Ellis and Jessica McDonough. Great going, Girls!!!!
Ninety-one Level Five gymnasts, from twelve teams, competed in the noontime session and of these, fifteen were from Jacksonville Gymnastics. The team won the Third-Place Team Award and the following top honors were awarded to our team members. (Again, some ages were divided into Flights)
Jordan Rogers, age eight Second
Lynzie VanBrocklin, age nine Third
Bailea Jones, age ten Flight A First
Halle Maddox, age ten Flight A Second
Anna Faith Camp, age ten Flight B Third
Just look at these smiling faces after an extremely tough meet. The Level Five team proudly won the Third-Place Team Trophy and display it here. As they pose here, from left to right front row are Lynzie VanBrocklin, Bailea Jones, Katherine Taylor and Halle Maddox. Second row are Jordan Rogers, Rachel Flippen, Katelin McLain and Madi Spears. On the back row, from left to right, are Amanda Hicks, Kennedy Driskill, Alex Taylor, Hannah Taylor, Katy Gorden, Sabrina Barger and Anna Faith Camp.
The Optional Levels competed in the evening session. Optional levels are Level Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten. It is at these levels that the gymnast and the coach choose the gymnast’s personal floor music, and the floor routine is usually choreographed to that special music by a coach, or a choreographer hired for that purpose. The beam and bar routines are also designed specifically for the individual gymnast, and all routines, including vault, are comprised of more difficult skills at each higher level.
Jacksonville Gymnastics competed seven of its eight Level Seven gymnasts (thirty-nine Level Seven gymnasts from eleven teams). Jacksonville won the Second-Place Team Trophy, competing against very tough competition and losing first place to a very tough Texas team. The following gymnasts won top individual awards:
Mackenzie Powers, age eleven Second
Samantha Gray, age twelve Second
Alyson Ferren, age thirteen Second
"That feeling of exhilaration of having just competed and doing well" really shows on the faces of these happy Level Seven Gymnasts as they pose here for their well-earned Second-Place Team Trophy. Great Going, Girls!!!! Seated is Kelsy Founds and behind her from left to right are Taylor Butler, Samantha Sobba, Samantha Gray, Tori Spears, Alyson Ferren, Kimmie Edwards and Mackenzie Powers. Kimmie was unable to compete because of the broken pinkie, but the team was so glad that she could be there with them and for her support for them by being on the floor with them for the meet.
Competing at the same time, but on different events, were the six Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Eight gymnasts, who very proudly won the First-Place Team Trophy. Seventeen Level Eight gymnasts from seven teams competed for the awards. Age inclusions were ten to thirteen years; fourteen years; and ages fifteen and up. The following Jacksonville Gymnastics team members won top awards as follow:
Haley Edgin, age ten First
Courtney Ellis, age twelve Second
Tori Hanley, age thirteen Third
Taylor Rai Johnson, age fourteen Second
Sarah McAlister, age sixteen First
Beginning at Level Four, gymnasts compete at the age they will be at the State Meet, which is held in March, so the gymnast may not actually be the listed age yet but will be by March).
I forgot to have my flash on for the best-posed pictures and I had to put both of these on so you could see the girls in either photo. They were really excited and having fun after having just completing a hard meet and winning First-Place Team Trophy. They are a fun group and they work and train so hard. And we are so proud of them!!!! From left to right, are Sissy Ghormley, Tori Hanley, Courtney Ellis, Sarah McAlister, Haley Edgin and Taylor Rai Johnson.
This is the first year for Jacksonville Gymnastics to have a competing Level Nine gymnast, even though all optional gymnasts aspire toward that and work toward that level (and Ten) at all times. The Team is very proud of Kayla Edgin, age fourteen. This was Kayla’s first meet to compete as a Level Nine Gymnast. She competed against three other Level Nine gymnasts from Arkansas and Louisiana, and Kayla won the First-Place Individual All-Around award. Congratulations, Kayla, on many years of hard work!!!!
Kayla Edgin - First Meet-Level Nine - First Place All-Around!!!
Congratulations and More!!!
FAMILY CHAMPIONS!!!
Fourteen-year-old Kayla, Level Nine, and ten-year-old sister, Haley, Level Eight - Pepsi Challenge First-All-Around Champions for their age and level. This is not the first time that Kayla and Haley have won first all-around. We are so very proud them. I hope to have a little more about the sisters on the Tidbits page later on.
We were all so pleased to be able to observe the Level Ten gymnasts compete very difficult skills. We were all in awe!!!!
Eighty-nine Level Three gymnasts from twelve teams competed in the Sunday morning session. No team awards were given for Level Three but placement and individual all-around awards were given. The ages varied from five years to twelve years and up. Jacksonville Gymnastics’ own Sarah Balenko, at age five, was the very youngest gymnast to compete in this session and she won First-Place All-Around honors.
The Jacksonville Level Three Team members did very well at the meet and won the following individual top all-around awards.
Sarah Balenko, age five First
Madison/Cross Engel, age six Third
Mollie Johnson, age seven Flight A First
Alexandria Leirer, age seven Flight B First
Olivia Hodson, age eight Flight B Second
Marissa Wallace, age eight Flight B Third
Katlyn Grace, age nine First
Keelee Curbo, age nine Second
Lauren Osburn, age nine Third
Lindsey Hart, age ten First
Happy Level Three's!!!!! They all did very well at the Pepsi Challenge - No team award was given but the gymnasts are proudly showing their individual trophies. From left to right on front row are Marissa Wallace, Rachel Vire, Olivia Hodson, Sarah Balenko, Madison "Cross" Engel, Taylor Parker, Alex Leirer and Deja Snyder. Standing back row, left to right, are Mollie Johnson, Katlyn Grace, Lindsey Hart, Lauren Osburn, Keelee Curbo and Jenna Mecca. Great job, Girls!!!
All of the Jacksonville Gymnasts competed so strongly for the Team and we are so proud of each of you. We appreciate the support of our parents, so we want to thank you and I would like for each of the gymnasts to tell her coaches how much they, too, are appreciated. Our coaches are really fantastic and you cannot imagine how many compliments our team and coaches received this weekend from parents and coaches of other teams.
Our team was also given one of the two new sting mats that were given away at the meet by the most hospitable hosts, Hot Springs Gymnastics. Thanks again, Amy and Staff and gymnasts from Hot Springs – you did a great job!
A few fun photos will be posted later on Tidbits or whatever I call it from front page - will add photos later.