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hosts its First Annual

MARCH  6 - 7 - 8  2009

Web Release                                                                                                   March 8, 2009

Jacksonville Gymnastics Team Hosts its

First Annual Emerald Classic Invitational Meet

What does three days of good-natured team rivalries, expressed by loud cheering supporters (including parents and grandparents); shout-outs from friends and families; hot dogs, nachos, and lots of popcorn; cash and prize giveaways; and girls competing or performing ordinary run-of-the-mill--(according to them) but fantastically well done, (according to the grandparents)--gymnastics skills have in common?  A competitive gymnastics meet, of course. 

Time and weather were not the only big changes that occurred this weekend.  The annual competitive meet hosted by Jacksonville Gymnastics was transformed from bright red to lime green and blue as the Eighth Annual Sweetheart Invitational from years past became the First Annual Emerald Classic. This weekend was such an undertaking that this writer who has been writing about events at Huff ‘n Puff for nearly 30 years doesn’t even know where to start – other than a great time was had by all!!!

And the 84 degree weather was not the only record set this weekend.  New attendance records were also set as the large three-day Emerald Classic Meet was attended by 623 gymnasts from 28 teams from Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana.  The meet was so large that double sessions were held Friday evening, and the eighth and last session of the meet ended Sunday evening about 7:30. 

Although this is the first year for the Emerald Classic, it was the ninth annual meet hosted by Jacksonville Gymnastics Competitive team (which was re-established ten years ago by Coach Laurel.)  It is the second year for the meet to be held at the Cabot High School Gymnasium, which houses two gyms side by side.  The second smaller gym is ordinarily utilized so that groups of gymnasts may be warming up their separate events, while other gymnasts are competing in the large gym, which aides in keeping the meet flowing.  However, both of the side-by-side gyms were utilized Friday night, as separate sessions were held in each of the two gyms. 

Competing gymnasts were as young as five years to eighteen years old.  Levels competed were from Level Two through Level Ten, with skills that ranged from the simplest basic cartwheel to the most advanced tumbling skills. 

Teams attending  the meet were:

Acro-Sports, Shreveport, Louisiana

Cabot Gymnastics

Champions Gymnastics, Paragould

Delta Gymnastics, West Memphis

Didion Gymnastics, Van Buren

Dorsey’s Gymnastics, Sheridan

Durham’s Gymnastics, Springdale

Elite Gymnastics II, Tupelo, Mississippi

Flame Gymnastics, Fort Smith

Flip Flop Gymnastics, Pine Bluff

Flip Over Gymnastics, Little Rock

Great Expectations Gymnastics, Camden

Gymnastics Plus, Arkadelphia

Gym Stars, Searcy

Hot Springs Gymnastics

Leah’s Gymnastics, Benton

Maumelle Gymnastics

Mega Gymnastics, North Little Rock

North Little Rock Superstars

River City Gymnastics, Little Rock

Russellville Twisters

Southwest Arkansas Gymnastics Academy, Hope

Sonshine Academy, Conway

Stars and Stripes, Batesville

Tena’s Gymnastics, Russellville

Tumble Town, Bee Branch

West Side YMCA, Little Rock

and Jacksonville Gymnastics      

           Gymnastics scoring of events is very interesting and is detailed for you on Page Four.

Every gymnast was awarded a medal for each of the four events--vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise--plus placement medals for their all-around score.  The gymnasts had each received their special gifts of a lime green sling back-pack filled with a cup and all sorts of fun things from Radio Disney, and their special Emerald Classic chocolate sucker.  Jacksonville Gymnastics also has a special tradition of awarding a personal trophy to the gymnast earning the highest all-around score in each session.

Special drawings were held for surprises for the coaches to let them know how special they are.  These prizes consisted of cosmetics bags, bath products, t-shirts, cash, waterproof ipod docking station and portable dvd player.  Judges gifts were also distributed including their own Emerald Classic lime green t-shirt. 

Two Build-a-Bear donations were given by Special Olympics, and names were drawn for the donation.  Two little girls were delighted to receive their special Build-a-Bear.  Donations were also collected for Special Olympics.  Lottery tickets were sold for a cash prize which was won by a lucky lady in the audience.   

Here is the pretty young Level Two gymnast from Pine Bluff who won one of the Build-a-Bears donated by Special Olympics.  Ms. Patty Desonie, coach from Flip Flop is shown here with her young team member.

Another fun part of the meet was getting to select your own choice of the t-shirt designs airbrushed in the lobby by Rod Sims and his family who came from Shreveport to be a special part of our meet.  His “Simsonite Creations” were a big hit with the gymnasts.  And, of course, the Jacksonville Gymnastics Pro Shop leotards and sportswear in the lobby were also a big hit – gymnasts never have enough leotards!!! 

Another popular hit of the meet was the shout-outs purchased for $1 and announced for the gymnasts over the loudspeaker.  Proceeds for the shout-outs will go to support the trip to Regionals of the Jax Gym Level Eight and Nine optional gymnasts.

Thanks Allison for all your help with our meets!  Allison is a good friend of Laurel and gym staffers and comes each year to help us with the ticket sales.

We think that all the gymnasts had a great time and went away from the meet feeling very special.  We hope that all the parents also had fun.  The Jax Gym parents had a great time, but they were exhausted.  Many of them had spent three days working the meet and enough appreciation for their support could never be said.  Thirty to forty parents and airmen from the base unloaded and assembled and took apart and reloaded two complete gymnastics competitive setups for the meet.  The equipment man said he had never seen the job done in such an efficient manner and in such a short time span – the set up was completed within a couple of hours and the same with the disassembly.  The workers included not only the coaches and some of the gymnasts, and mothers as well as the fathers, in addition to the kind volunteers from the Air Base.  We are so grateful to each and all of our parent volunteers for your physical efforts for setting up equipment and also taking care of the Hospitality Room for the coaches and judges, the scorekeeping computer and vocal work, the timing and scoring on the floor for the events, medical staff being on hand,  and, especially, our gratitude goes to our wonderful sponsors.  We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful staff and parents and grandparents and friends who support us.  Putting on a meet of this magnitude is a HUGE job and Laurel and Erin and our coaches could not have done this without the help from all of you. 

Jacksonville Level Three Gymnasts and Coaches are ready early - other teams are forming at their events.  The gym looked so pretty with the green and blue colors.  This was taken Friday night at the first session of the meet in the "Second Gym."

Session 1A - Level Threes

The meet actually began Friday at 4:45 in the second gym where 66 Level Three gymnasts from Flip Over, Leah’s, Mega, NLR, Sonshine, Tumble Town and Jacksonville competed.  No team awards are given in Arkansas for Level Three teams, but the Jacksonville Level Three gymnasts did very well, scoring their all-time high of the season – a 113.95.  You Level Three gymnasts have really done the team proud!!!  Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Three Gymnasts, ages five to eleven, who competed in the meet were Mattingly Bartole, Roberta Cordts, Madison Dixon, Melanie Fortson, Catherine Hancock, Reagan Hodson, Madison Houck, Macey Jasmin, Blair Jones, Breanna Orr, Gracie Petefish, Taylor Stauffer, Cambrie Wade, Alex Wargo,  and Eboni Wells.

Top Individual All-Around Honors for the team were won by:

Top Individual Event Honors won were:

(The gymnasts are listed by age and alphabetized by first name in order to be able to quickly identify as awards are announced.)

Highest Score for the Session was won by Jacksonville's own Madison Houck, age eight.  Madison scored a 9.5 on vault, a 9.65 on bars, a 9.0 on beam and a 9.6 on floor for a total all-around score of 37.75.  Congratulations, Madison!  We are so proud of all  you.  You gymnasts have worked very hard this season and improved with each meet, and I probably say this every year, but it seemed to me that you all were an exceptional group of Level Three gymnasts!!!!!

Proud Level Three Gymnasts are shown here with their equally proud coaches - Coach Laurel and Coach Christy.  The team had just scored their season high of 113.95.  From left to right on front row are Blair, Reagan, Macey, Melanie and Gracie.  Back rows from left to right are Breanna, Eboni, Cambrie, Alex, Madison, Roberta, Madison, Catherine and Taylor.  Unfortunately, Mattingly did not realize that we hadn't gotten the pictures taken but she did compete and we'll get a picture of her soon. 

Blair Jones, age six, First-Place All-Around

Roberta Cordts, age nine, First-Place All-Around

Eboni Wells, age ten, First-Place All-Around

Madison Houck, age eight, First-Place All-Around and High Scorer of the Session - 37.75

Session 1B - Level Fours

Beginning at 5:30 in the large gym was a Level Four competition between 71 gymnasts from the following teams:  Dorsey's, Flip Flop, Flip Over, Gym Plus, Leah's, Stars and Stripes, Sonshine, Tena's and Tumble Town.  Top five team placements were:  Dorsey's, Sonshine, Stars and Stripes, Flip Flop and Leah's.  Top Individual High Score honor went to nine-year-old Allie Brodnax from Dorsey's with a score of 38.650.

DAY TWO - Levels Five, Six and Optionals

Page Two - Levels Five, Six and Optionals                                         Page Three - Levels Four, Five and Fours

Page Four - How Scoring is Accomplished

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