"Gymnastics is perhaps the most beautiful, challenging and rewarding of all competitive sports." ***
Jacksonville Gymnastics has a Fun Weekend, along with
Achieving Great Scores!!!
Jacksonville Gymnastics USAG Junior Olympic Competitive Team, Levels Three Nine, competed this weekend at the Winter All-Star Classic, hosted by Stars and Stripes Gymnastics at their gym in Batesville. It was a fun meet and our team, parents and coaches wish to thank Chaz and Heather and their parents for being such great hosts.
Editorial Note: There are some thoughts that I would like to pass on about this meet. This was a fun meet I think partially because it was a relaxed feeling in that it seemed almost like we were in our home gym. I felt really good about the meet because our gymnasts continue to improve and the scores for the different levels reflected that improvement. We usually have the same set of judges in Arkansas, more or less, and each judge may or may not judge the same event from meet to meet, but as we know, they are all very fair and judge equally, no matter which event they are judging, nor which team gymnast they are judging. So it makes me (only as a person who loves gymnastics and the kids) feel really good about our team and our coaches when we see all of our kids improving their scores. (And this was in spite of fewer practices due to the holidays.) We had some individual event scores that were very good all the way up to 9.5s and on up to 9.8. I hope your child feels very proud of herself for being such a good team member because we are all so proud of each and every one of them.
Just as a reminder. Each gymnast is judged on each of the four events vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise. Those scores of the four events are then added together, and that determines the individual All-Around score for each gymnast. That is one set of scores. Then, the top three scores of each event are added together. (Sometimes in Levels Three and Four, five scores will be taken depending on the size of the meet.) The total top three scores on each event are then added together. Then those four event scores are added to comprise the team score. In this way, each gymnast may contribute to the team score and each gymnast is very important to the team.
Now to the meet news!!
Twelve of our Level Three gymnasts competed Friday night. Although no team awards were given for the Level Three session, our gymnasts had a very good meet with very good scores. Considering top awards as placing first, second or third, the Team won the following top event honors: vault nine; uneven bars eight; beam eight; and floor exercise nine. Additionally, the following Jacksonville team members were awarded top individual All-Around placements.
Sarah Balenko Age Five in the Five-Six age bracket Second
Hayden Medlock Age Six in the Five-Six age bracket First
Molly Johnson Age Seven First
Olivia Hodson Age Eight Second
Taylor Parker Age Eight Third
Katlyn Grace Age Nine First
Lauren Osburn Age Nine Second
Keelee Curbo Age Ten First
Lindsey Hart Age Ten Second
Shown here are the proud members of the Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Three Team who competed Friday night and came away big winners!!!! Shown here, front row, from left to right, are Jenna Mecca, Lauren Osburn, Katlyn Grace, Curbo, Taylor Parker, and Lindsay Hart. Second row, left to right, are Molly Johnson, Hayden Medlock, Marissa Wallace, Sarah Balenko, Alexandria Leirer and Olivia Hodson. Madison Cross Engel was registered to compete also, but could not due to illness.
Early Saturday morning (at 8:00 a.m.) 62 Level Four gymnasts from six central Arkansas teams competed. Eighteen gymnasts from the Jacksonville Team competed and won the Second-Place Team Trophy. (The team missed First Place by just .15 of a point that could be as little as lack of a pointed toe or a small bounce on the floor. However, I just realized that we beat another team by only .20 of a point.)
The following top individual all-around winners were:
Allison Ramsey Age Seven Third
Sarah Beavers Age Eight, Flight A Third
Sydney McGill Age Eight, Flight B First
Lakyn Powers Age Eight, Flight B Second
Abby Houghtaling Age Eight, Flight B Third
Sierra Rohauer Age Nine, Flight B Second
Briyana Isaac Age Ten Second
Maggie Lee Age Ten Third
(Briyana missed First-Place Individual All-Around by .05 of a point barely a blink of an eye!)
Shown here are some of the Level Four Team Gymnasts who competed in Batesville Saturday morning. Front row, from left to right, are Sara Heil, Lakyn Powers, Sierra Rohauer, Natalie Donley, Sarah Beavers, Miranda Chambers and Abby Houghtaling. Second row, left to right, are Jadyn Perkins, Sydney Baggerly, Sydney McGill, and Ashley Hudson. Third row, also left to right are Maggie Lee, Skylar Spaeth, Jessica Gardner, Briyana Isaac and Sydney McClung. I thought that I had all the Level Four Gymnasts corralled for the after-competition photo shot, but somehow Mattie Taylor and Allison Ramsey got away from me. Also, Sarah Seibel was on her way to the meet and unfortunately became ill so had to return home. Sarah, we were all sorry that you couldn't make it - we know you tried!
Fourteen of the fifteen-members of the Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Five Team competed in the early afternoon session. The team not only won the first-place team trophy but they raised their team score over four and a half points over their last meet and right at two points higher than their previous highest score. The following gymnasts won top individual all-around awards.
Jordan Rogers Age Eight First
Lynzie VanBrocklin Age Nine First
Bailea Jones Age Ten First
Anna Faith Camp Age Ten Second
Halle Maddox Age Ten Third
Rachel Flippen Age Ten Fourth
Katy Gorden Age Ten Fifth
(I listed the first five places in the Age Ten bracket because out of eighteen ten-year-olds, our team swept the first five places.)
Katelin McLain Age Eleven First
Amanda Hicks Age Twelve Second
Just look at the happy faces of the Level Five Team - I don't think the girls realized just how well they had done, but they knew they had won!!!! First row, left to right are Katelin McLain, Alex Taylor, Kennedy Driskill, Sabrina Barger, Katy Gorden and Bailea Jones. Back row, left to right are Amanda Hicks, Hannah Taylor, Anna Faith Camp, Rachel Flippen, Lynzie VanBrocklin, Halle Maddox, Madi Spears and Jordan Rogers.
Levels Six, Seven, Eight and Nine competed in the early evening session. This was just the second meet of the season for the optionals (Levels Seven, Eight and Nine where each gymnast competes individual routines choreographed for her by her coaches, as opposed to Compulsory Levels--One through Six where each gymnast does the same routine for her level. We did have the largest number of gymnasts, but the individual scores and team scores were higher than in the past. A gymnast can only go to the meet and hope to do better than she did at her previous meets. She is therefore competing against herself but at the same time, doing all she can to help out her team. If the gymnast has moved up a level, it may be more difficult to attain her scores from the previous season. Our gymnasts are working really hard and seem to be achieving that goal.
The Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Six Team Gymnasts had their highest team score of their first three meets (four, if you include the mock meet). They were up four points over last competition and almost a point over their previous high (where they had placed First in both competitions. They all did so well!!! We know that you cannot always win First Place but we can enjoy it when we do.
Individual All-Arounds were awarded to the following:
Kendra Lytch Age Ten First
Mackenzie Ellis Age Nine Second
Tonie Butler Age Eight Third
(Eight to ten-year olds competed in the same age bracket.)
Jessica McDonough Age Twelve First
Stephanie Singleton Age Thirteen First
Carol Walters Age Thirteen Third
Level Six Team Members - What a Great Meet!!!! From left to right are Jessica McDonough, Carol Walters, Mackenzie Ellis, Kendra Lytch, Tonie Butler, Stephanie Singleton and Tiffany Maxwell. Kendra received a 9.8 on her floor routine - way to go Kendra - and all you girls - you all really came through for each other!
Our Level Seven Team also won the First-Place Team Trophy and their team score was a point higher than their previous score (only two meets thus far). The individual all-around honors were awarded to:
Taylor Butler Age Ten First
Mackenzie Powers Age Eleven Third
Samantha Gray Age Twelve
Second
Allyson Ferren Age Thirteen Second
Tori Spears Age Thirteen Third
Shown here are Level Seven Gymnasts, from left to right, Tori Spears, Kelsy Founds, Taylor Butler, Mackenzie Powers, Alyson Ferren, Samantha Sobba and Samantha Gray. These gymnasts have worked very hard at these Level Seven skills and we're proud of each of you!!
Our Level Eight Team also won the First Place Team Trophy. They raised their team score up over one-half point over their previous meet (where they had also won first). Individual All-Around awards went to the following gymnasts.
Tori Hanley Age Thirteen First
Courtney Ellis Age Twelve Second
Sarah McAlister Age Sixteen First
Taylor Rai Johnson Age Fourteen Second
Unfortunately, Haley Edgin and Sissy Ghormley had foot injuries and could not compete. They were both there to support their teammates in their Quest for the Gold. The Level Eight gymnasts had matching hairdos and they looked so good!
We hope everyone will get to come to our own Sweetheart Invitational Competition in February so you can see why we are so proud of our Level Eight gymnasts. From left to right are Tori Hanley, Taylor Rai Johnson, Haley Edgin, Courtney Ellis, Sissy Ghormley and Sarah McAlister. These Jacksonville Team Gymnasts are from as far North as Beebe all the way in another direction to Sheridan and Alexander, with Cabot, and Sherwood inbetween. We also have four other gymnasts on different levels who come from as far north as Searcy and even have gymnasts from Conway.
Kayla Edgin, our Level Nine gymnast, did a great job, too. The other Level Nine gymnast scheduled to be at the meet was unable to attend, so Kayla was competing alone, but we are so proud for Kayla to represent Jacksonville Gymnastics Team. She does a great job and is a true competitor, in all meanings of the word.
I'm sure that you all know these wonderful coaches, but just in case you don't, from left to right are Lois Bryan, Lindsey Sweet, Laurel Spears, Erin Wunderl and Christy Ellis.
I have to say something here. Since this article is just for the website, I can say whatever I want to say (I cannot do that when the article is going to the paper I have to make it just news and cant show favoritism or commercialism.) I just want all of our gymnasts (and parents) to know how very, very proud you make us all. I also want to thank our coaches you all are truly remarkable and we know how much of yourself you put into these girls and their progress. We are so proud of all of you and if Im not too mushy we love you all not just for yourselves, but for the efforts you put into our team.
Our next competition will be the Yankee Doodle Dandy meet that will be held at the Convention Center in Pine Bluff January 18 - 20. This meet will be hosted by Flip Flop Gymnastics and we look forward to it.