JACKSONVILLE GYMNASTICS LEVEL SEVEN GYMNASTS WIN
SECOND-PLACE TEAM AWARD COMPETING AGAINST
The optional gymnasts, Levels Seven and Eight, of the Jacksonville Gymnastics USAG Junior Olympic Competitive Team, competed at the Saturday night session at River City Gymnastics in Little Rock. Over 400 gymnasts from 20 teams--eighteen from Arkansas and two from Missouri--competed at the meet. The decision was made for the Jacksonville optionals only to compete and not the compulsory levels—Four, Five, and Six—since the team has had a very heavy meet schedule thus far. Most of the gymnasts recently competed in Springfield, Missouri, and all Jacksonville levels competed in Shreveport, Louisiana. Additionally, Jacksonville Gymnastics will host their own meet this weekend, February 11-12-13th at Huff ‘n Puff.
Competing in the evening session were 69 Level Seven, Eight and Nine gymnasts and one Level Ten gymnast. Of these gymnasts, thirty-eight were Level Eight. Competing in this meet for the Jacksonville Level Eight Team were Emily West and Sarah McAlister, two gymnasts of the four-member team. This is the first year for the Jacksonville gymnasts to compete at Level Eight and the requirements for the skills and stunts at this level are quite difficult. The points from three gymnasts are required for team trophies so Jacksonville was not eligible for a team trophy.
The fifty Level Seven gymnasts competed in two separate sessions. The team scores and awards were taken from the two sessions and the teams with the highest score of either session won. The Jacksonville Level Seven Team members won the Second-Place Team trophy. They beat the Level Seven team from Williams Gymnastics, Fayetteville – considered to be one of the largest and strongest teams in the state. The eight competing gymnasts of the ten-member Jacksonville Level Seven team were: Bonnie Brown, Kayla Edgin, Sissy Ghormley, Taylor Rai Johnson, Shannon Mavity, Missy Whittecar, Hannah Womack and Stephanie York. Winning individual all-around honors for their age levels were: Kayla Edgin, age eleven, first-place all-around with a 35.65, and Taylor Rai Johnson, age eleven, second place with a 35.45; Sissy Ghormley, age twelve, second place; and Bonnie Brown, age fourteen, second place.
The next meet for Jacksonville Gymnastics will be their fifth annual Sweetheart Invitational which will be held February 11-12-and 13th at their home gym at Huff ‘n Puff, 613 Stonewall Square. The meet is for Levels Four through Nine and over 320 gymnasts will represent nineteen Arkansas teams.
The public is invited to attend – the admission cost is $5 for students, age 13 and older and adults, and $3 for school age children. For more information regarding meet, call 985-1818.
