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LONG DAY AND TOUGH COMPETITION AS JACKSONVILLE
GYMNASTICS OPTIONALS COMPETE IN MEMPHIS
The Jacksonville Gymnastics Team Optionals (Level Seven, Eight and Nine) competed Saturday, January 10 in Memphis, Tennessee, in what seemed like a very long day that began before 8:00 in the morning and ended about 10:00 in the evening. The meet was held in the Cook Convention Center on the west side of Memphis (just across the Arkansas-Tennessee bridge) and was hosted by River City Gymnastics of Bartlett, Tennessee. The Optionals sessions were attended by 160 gymnasts, Levels Seven - Ten, from six states. Also 152 gymnasts, Levels P1-P2-P3, Three, Four, Five and Six, were to meet on Sunday. Three of the eight USAG judges were from Arkansas.
The meet gymnasts--a few more than 300--represented teams from as far away as Michigan, Maryland, and Missouri, and as nearby as Mississippi, Arkansas and the host's home state of Tennessee. Optional gymnasts from four Arkansas teams attended the meet. Gymnasts were divided by categories of child, juniors and seniors instead of by year age as we are accustomed to. The child category covered an age range of eight to eleven years, the junior category covered ages twelve-thirteen and senior category as for ages fourteen and up.
Most of the rest of the meet was much like the meets attended by Jacksonville over the past years, but the Awards sessions were different from what we had seen so far; and I understand that teams from Mississippi and other states are utilizing this system. Not that it matters, but I much prefer the older way of honoring the gymnasts at the end of the meet. At this meet, everyone went to two separate areas with the parents in one area and the gymnasts in another area. In the gymnasts' room, medals were awarded to about the top half of the gymnasts in the child-age category for the first event - the vault. In the other room, they were announced one by one and the gymnasts came in to stand on the stand, ending with the gymnast who had won first place. Then the junior age category gymnasts were announced for the vault, and then the senior gymnasts. The other three events were handled in the same manner, and at the end, all-around awards were announced for each of the competing gymnasts in the same manner - child category, junior category and senior category. After that, the awards were honored for the teams, going out six or seven teams, depending, I guess, on how many were eligible for team awards (It takes three scores to be considered for team awards.) Now to me, it didn't save any time and took a lot of the excitement out for the parents of seeing their child receive the actual medal and to see the looks on their faces. I'm sure though that teams may eventually utilize this manner of handing out awards. It made it difficult for those of us (and coaches) who had teams warming up in the main gym as several gymnasts had already competed on each event before the awards were completed, so we had already missed part of the next session.
Six of the seven-member Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Seven Optional Team competed with 48 gymnasts from thirteen teams in the early morning session. We were so proud of our gymnasts. Tonie Butler, age 9; Mackenzie Ellis, age ten; and Kendra Lytch, age 11 competed in the child category of sixteen gymnasts. Kendra won first on vault and, Tonie won third of Bars and first on beam with a 9.6. Each of our gymnasts were on the awards stand three times, plus for all-around. Jessica McDonough, age 13 competed in the junior division (of 17 gymnasts) and was on the awards stand each time. Kelsy Founds and Stephanie Singleton, age fourteen, competed in the age fourteen-and-up Senior category. They were each on the awards stand three times and they tied each other for third place on vault, Kelsy also won third on bars and Stephanie won third on beam. Tonie won second place All-Around, Mackenzie won seventh, and Kendra tied for fourth All-Around. Jessica won seventh in Junior category; Kelsey won seventh and Stephanie won fourth (14 Senior gymnasts). Jacksonville Level Seven won the Second-Place Team Trophy, losing to the Intrigue Gymnasts from Lebanon, Tennessee.
The Level Seven gymnast just shine after proudly winning the Second-Place Team Trophy. On the front row, from left to right are Mackenzie Ellis, Tonie Butler and Kendra Lytch. On the back row, left to right, are Jessica McDonough, Stephanie Singleton and Kelsy Founds.
Left to right are Mackenzie, Tonie and Kendra. Tonie won Second-Place All-Around and these gymnasts are always pleased for each other, no matter which of them wins it. Besides being great gymnasts, they are great kids!!!
Our Level Eight gymnasts competed in the noon-time session with 54 gymnasts from sixteen teams. Taylor Butler, age eleven, competed in the child division (sixteen gymnasts) and won eighth-place All-Around; Kimmie Edwards, age thirteen, (seventeen gymnasts) competed in the junior division; and Allyson Ferren and Tori Hanley, ages fourteen, and Krista Carlisle, age sixteen, competed in the senior division with 16 gymnasts. Kimmie tied for first on bars, tied for second on beam and won second place All-Around, junior category. Tori Hanley won first on vault, first on bars, tied third on beam (with a fall of .5 deduction) and won first All-Around with a score of 36.75, senior category. The gymnasts did a great job and the team won Sixth-Place Team award.
Shown here are the Level Eight gymnasts who had worked so hard at the Blues & BBQ Competition. Posing here are Allyson Ferren, Tori Hanley, Kimmie Edwards and Taylor Butler. Krista Carlisle who had also competed got away before we could get the picture taken.
The five Jacksonville Team Level Nine gymnasts competed with 49 gymnasts from eleven teams and nine Level Ten gymnasts from seven teams. Haley Edgin, age eleven, competed with sixteen gymnasts in the child category and placed eighth All-Around. Courtney Ellis, age thirteen, competed with seventeen gymnasts in the junior category and placed seventh All-Around. Kayla Edgin (age fifteen), Taylor Rai Johnson (age fifteen), and Sarah McAlister (age seventeen) competed in the senior category. Taylor Rai placed fifth All-Around, Sarah placed third on beam and placed seventh All Around. Kayla tied for second on vault, received third on bars, first on beam and fourth on floor and won first-place All-Around with a 36.075 score, which we think was the highest score in the third session of level nine and ten gymnasts. The team won Fourth-place Team Award.
The Level Nine gymnasts smile so proudly with their Fourth-Place Team Trophy after competing so well at the Blues & BBQ meet at Memphis. From left to right are Kayla Edgin, Courtney Ellis, Sarah McAlister, Taylor Rai Johnson and Haley Edgin.
Tori Hanley, Level Eight, is shown here after winning First-Place All-Around Award at the Blues & BBQ tough meet at Memphis. Tori is such a delight to watch and works so hard on the events, which belies her wonderful sense of humor and fun attitudes.
Kimmie Edwards is shown here after proudly winning the Second-Place All-Around Honor, Junior category, Level Eight at the Blues & BBQ meet. Kimmie came to Jacksonville Gymnastics about four years ago, after having never even trying gymnastics, and was soon placed at Level two and then Level Five Team. She has competed each level since and is now a Level Eight. We're proud of your hard work, Kimmie.
And then there is Kayla Edgin. Kayla was our first Level Nine Gymnast last year and also went to Regionals in Wichita. Kayla won First-Place All-Around award at the Blues & BBQ Meet. We were all so proud of Kayla as the competition was tough, especially coming from those larger teams all east of us (Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee.) Kayla and her sister Haley drive at least an hour to and from the gym four nights a week and never miss a workout unless they are ill - and their hard work pays off for them.
We are proud of all our gymnasts though, and we were especially proud of our gymnasts and the efforts they put forth in this first meet of the 2009 season. All of our gymnasts will compete next Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Yankee Doodle Dandy Competitive Meet hosted by Flip Flop Gymnastics at the Pine Bluff Convention Center.
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