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Jacksonville Gymnastics Team competed Saturday and Sunday, December 13-14, at the Hot Springs Gymnastics Fifth Annual Pepsi Challenge Meet that was held at Lakewood Junior High School. It was a good meet and Jacksonville Team, Levels Three - Nine did very well at the meet.
The meet which began Friday night and ended Sunday morning was attended by 362 gymnasts from 18 teams, including teams from Tennessee, Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas, and included the 65 gymnasts from Jacksonville Gymnastics. This was the third meet of the season for the compulsory gymnasts of the team (Levels Three, Four, Five and Six) but was the first meet of the season for the Jacksonville Gymnastics seventeen-member Optional Team, Levels Seven, Eight and Nine. All levels of the team had great performances and the meet was fun for gymnasts and parents alike (maybe even for the coaches!)
The Pepsi Challenge began Friday evening for some teams when 76 Level Three and Four gymnasts, from nine teams, competed.
The meet for Jacksonville Gymnasts, however, actually began on Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. when sixteen of our Level Four gymnasts competed with a total of 75 gymnasts from eight teams. The Jacksonville Level Four gymnasts, aged seven to twelve, won the First-Place Team Trophy, three First Individual All-Arounds and ten First-Place Event Awards.
Winning Top awards, by age, were:
Miranda Chambers age nine, Flight A First Place
Olivia Hodson age nine, Flight A Third Place
Sara Heil age nine, Flight B First Place
Taylor Parker age nine, Flight B Second Place
Madison Williams age nine, Flight B Third Place
Jadyn Perkins age ten Second Place
Jenna Mecca age ten Third Place
Madison Barnhill age twelve First Place
Jessica Gardner age twelve Third Place
Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Four Team members happily pose after winning the First-Place Team Trophy. Front row gymnasts, from left to right, are Madison Williams, Miranda Chambers, and Olivia Hodson. Second row, seated are Sara Heil, Taylor Parker, Marissa Wallace, and Jenna Mecca. Back row standing, left to right, are Jessica Gardner, Lauren Osburn, Jadyn Perkins, Lauren Travis, Madison Barnhill, Dalianna Gonzalez and Rachel Wyrick. Competing but not shown here was Courtney Jackson and Sarah Balenko. Sarah became ill after warmups and had to leave the meet. Way to go, Gymnasts - we're proud of each of you!
Eighty-four Level Five and Level Six gymnasts competed in the noontime session. Of those 84 competitors, 64 gymnasts from thirteen teams competed at Level Five, and 20 gymnasts from eight teams competed at Level Six. The Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Five team won the Third-Place Team Trophy. They lost to a very a tough team from Texas and another tough team from Arkansas. Winning honors were:
Sarah Beavers age nine Third Place
Sierra Rohauer age ten, Flight A Third Place
Madi Spears age ten, Flight B Third Place
Madi won First-Place Beam for her age with a 9.45 and had earned a 9.5 on floor, but came in second on that event.
Jacksonville Level Five Team earned the Third-Place Team Trophy in the Pepsi Challenge Meet Saturday. Posing after a very tough meet, front row, left to right, are Sierra Rohauer, Mattie Taylor, Madi Spears, Allison Ramsey, Abby Houghtaling and Sarah Beavers. Second row, left to right, are Sabrina Barger, Briyanna Isaac, Sarah Seibel, Hannah Taylor, and Skylar Spaeth.
Competing in the same session were twenty Level Six Gymnasts from eight teams, including the five Level Six Gymnasts from Jacksonville Gymnastics. The Level Six gymnasts won the First-Place Team Trophy and Katelin McLain, age twelve, won first on bars, beam (with a 9.525) and floor (with a 9.6) for First-Place Individual All-Around honors for age twelve to thirteen-year-old gymnasts.
Jacksonville Gymnastics
Level Six team members are shown here after winning the First-Place
Team Trophy. Seated is Lynzie VanBrocklin, and standing from left to right
are Jordan Rogers, Katelin McLain, Rachel Flippen and Kennedy Driskill.
Competing in the evening session were the 17 Jacksonville Gymnastics Optional gymnasts. The gymnasts looked wonderful in their beautiful leotards when they lined up for the presentation of the teams. I was sorry that I didn't have the camera ready because it was quite impressive. Our seven Level Seven gymnasts competed with 33 gymnasts from 13 teams. Our five Level Eight gymnasts competed with 17 gymnasts from eight teams. Our Level Nine gymnasts competed with 11 gymnasts from four teams. Also, five gymnasts competed at Level Ten.
Level Seven Team won the First-Place Team Trophy and the following gymnasts won top individual top all-around honors.
Tonie Butler age nine First Place
Mackenzie Ellis age ten Third Place
Kendra Lytch age eleven Second Place
Kelsy Founds age fourteen First Place
Stephani Singleton age fourteen Second Place
Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Seven Team Gymnasts happily pose with their First-Place Team Trophy. This was their first meet of the season and they did very well. From left to right, are Mackenzie Ellis, Stephanie Singleton, Kendra Lytch, Jessica McDonough, Kelsy Founds and Tori Spears. Holding the Team Trophy is Tonie Butler.
A roar erupted from the audience (at least from the Jacksonville Gymnastics Parents) when Kendra scored an 9.8 on her beautiful floor routine. Kendra is shown here after the meet. We're so proud of you Kendra - you really sold that routine.
Level Eight gymnasts competed in the evening session also and I owe you all an apology. I knew that I didn't feel well at all yesterday, but I didn't know how out of it I was. I forgot to take a picture of our Level Eight gymnasts and I didn't even realize it until tonight. I hope you young ladies and your parents, will forgive me for my oversight.
Competing at Level Eight are the following gymnasts (who have worked very hard on their skills this season.) Moving from Level Seven to Level Eight is a very big step and we are so proud of each of you. Competing at Level Eight is Taylor Butler, Kimmie Edwards, Allyson Ferren, Tori Hanley and Krista Carlisle. Winning top honors at the Pepsi Challenge were:
Taylor Butler age eleven Second Place
Tori Hanley age fourteen Second Place
Another roar from the audience was heard as they displayed Tori Hanley's beam score and it was evidently a near-perfect routine that includes among other difficult skills, a back tuck on the beam. Tori earned a 9.850!!! Congratulations, Tori. I overheard a coach say that she thought that it was as near perfect as any beam routine she had seen. Tori also earned a 9.2 on vault and a 9.35 on floor and earned second-place all-around - which might indicate just how tough the competition was. Taylor Butler also earned a 9.5 on floor. The team has lots of reasons to be excited this season!!!
This is what a 9.85 beam smile looks like!!!!!!
The Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Nine Team also won the First-Place Trophy. Only one team trophy was awarded and Jax won that one!!!! These gymnasts have also worked very hard to go from Level Eight to Level Nine (Kayla was our only Level Nine gymnast last year). The following top honors were won:
Haley Edgin age eleven First Place
Courtney Ellis age thirteen Second Place
Taylor Rai Johnson age fifteen Third Place
Shown here with their
First-Place Team Trophy from left to right are Taylor Rai Johnson, Haley
Edgin, Kayla Edgin, Courtney Ellis and Sarah McAlister.
Competing Sunday morning were 28 Level Two gymnasts from three teams, and 33 Level Three gymnasts from three teams, and included in this meet were the sixteen Level Three gymnasts of the Jacksonville Gymnastics Team. The Level Three gymnasts competed very hard and did very well. Team awards are usually not awarded at Level Three or Level Two, but our Level Threes did very well, as they have in all of their meets this season; this was their fourth meet of the season, including the mock meet. Top awards were won by the following gymnasts:
Macey Jasmin age five First Place
Reagan Hodson age six Third Place
Melanie Fortson age seven Second Place
Madison Houck age eight, Flight A First Place
Madison Dixon age eight, Flight B First Place
Cambrie Wade age nine, Flight A Second Place
Catherine Hancock age nine, Flight B First Place
Roberta Cordts age nine, Flight B Second Place
Moni Sanders age ten Third Place
Breanna Orr age eleven First Place
Just look at these proud gymnasts, and they had every reason to be proud - they did a great job at their Sunday morning session at the Pepsi Challenge. Pictured front row, left to right are Melanie Fortson, Alex Wargo, Reagan Hodson, Macey Jasmin, Mattingly Bartole, Blair Jones, and Gracie Petefish. Second row, left to right, are Catherine Hancock, Madison Houck, Cambrie Wade, Taylor Stauffer, Roberta Cordts and Madison Dixon. Back row, left to right are Eboni Wells, Breanna Orr and Moni Sanders.
Jacksonville Gymnasts - we are proud of you and the way you compete and act at meets. You make us very proud as parents, grandparents, etc. And parents, etc. we appreciate you so much and your support of our team. The shirts look really good on you. As the coaches said - we appreciate you showing your team pride, and again, we appreciate our sponsors of the shirts!!!!
Team members and Jacksonville Dance Company members - don't forget about your Holiday Party - if you have any questions, call the coaches or instructors at the Gym - 985-1818.
Happy Holidays to each of you. Don't forget, Mr. Bobby is having a New Year's Eve Bash at the gym, if you are looking for a safe place for your child to spend New Year's eve. See details here on the web.
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