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Dear Parents,  I learned more about the Western National Competition after I had written the Web Release.  This is the press release that I submitted to the local newspapers.  Hope you see it in print, soon.  Leader and Jax Patriot, Cabot Star-Herald and hopefully Sherwood Voice. 

Press Release                                                                                                                  April 20, 2009

JACKSONVILLE GYMNASTICS LEVEL NINE TEAM

WINS REGIONAL HONORS AND SENDS TWO QUALIFIERS TO

THE WESTERN NATIONAL COMPETITION

Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Nine Team, that recently won the Arkansas State Championship, has just added another first to its prestigious history.  This is the first year for the Jacksonville team to have a Level Nine team and at this time, there was only one other Level Nine team in the State.  It takes three gymnasts to make a team; however, Jacksonville had five of only twelve Arkansas Level Nine gymnasts to compete this year.   Not only did the Team win the State Championship, but four of the Jacksonville Team Level Nine gymnasts qualified to go to the USAG Region Three Competition, which was held this weekend in Denver, Colorado.  The Competition included nearly 190 gymnasts from the seven states that comprise Region Three:  Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming and Arkansas.  The four gymnasts from the Jacksonville Team joined another four gymnasts from four other Arkansas teams to compete in the meet.  There were only twelve Level Nine gymnasts in the State in the 2008-2009 season and the home team counted for five of those gymnasts.

Kayla Edgin, who last year was the Team’s first Level Nine gymnast and who qualified for 2008 Regional Competition, qualified again this year.  Kayla was joined by her younger sister Haley and teammates Courtney Ellis and Taylor Rai Johnson.  The fifth level nine team member, Sarah McAlister, was injured and could not compete. 

The gymnasts range in age from Kayla and Taylor Rai, who are 15; Courtney is 13; to Haley, who at eleven, is the youngest Level Nine gymnast in Arkansas.  During the school year, the Team optional gymnasts train four hours a day, four days a week and will train five hours a day during the summer.  Kayla and Haley are from Alexander and travel about an hour one way to Huff ‘n Puff those four days a week, whereas Courtney is from Sherwood and Taylor Rai is from Cabot.  All of the gymnasts have been coming to Jacksonville Gymnastics for six years and have been top gymnasts, winning many State Championship All-Around Individual awards and State Event awards, in addition to meet awards during the competitive season.  Also, Kayla placed second on the beam at the Regional Competition.

The gymnasts competed not only for Regional titles but also for the opportunity to compete in the Western National Competition where gymnasts from the western 25 states will compete.  About 375 gymnasts from the four western regions will compete in the Western National Competition, which is being held this year at Bartlesville, Oklahoma on Mothers’ Day weekend.  There were many years that Arkansas had no National qualifiers.  However, this year, Arkansas is sending four gymnasts who qualified, and the Jacksonville Gymnastics Team is very proud to be sending two of those four gymnasts.  Kayla Edgin and Taylor Rai Johnson both qualified for the national competition and consider it a great honor to represent Arkansas in this competition.  The other two gymnasts representing Arkansas are from Hot Springs and Little Rock. 

Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Eight gymnast, Kimmie Edwards, has qualified for the Level Eight Regional Three Meet that is being held this weekend in Norman, Oklahoma.  Kimmie also won the Level Eight Individual All-Around State Championship award for her age.  To qualify for Level Eight Regional Competition, the gymnast must be in the top half of her age bracket. Fourteen of the Arkansas 28 Level Eight gymnasts who competed at the State competition qualified to attend the Regional Competition.

The Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Eight and Nine Team gymnasts are coached by Head Team Coach Laurel Spears and Erin Wunderl, Assistant Head Team Coach.  Ms. Laurel formed the Jacksonville Gymnastics Team nearly eleven years ago and Ms. Erin joined her to help coach six years ago.  The Jacksonville team is now one of the largest teams in the state and won not only the Level Nine State Championship Team award, but also tied for State Championship, Level Seven; won Second Place, Level Six; and won Third Place, Level Eight; and also won eight individual All-Around State Championship titles this year.

Four Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Nine Gymnasts competed recently at the Level Nine Region Three Competition.  Gymnasts from a seven-state area competed at Denver, Colorado, during the weekend blizzard, in which the area received about 30 inches of snow.  Competing in Regionals, and shown here at a recent Texas meet, from left to right, are Courtney Ellis, Taylor Rai Johnson, Kayla Edgin and Haley Edgin.  Kayla and Taylor Rai also qualified at Regionals to compete at the Western National Championship Competition to be held in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, May 8 – 10.  The Jacksonville Team gymnasts also recently won the Arkansas State Championship for Level Nine Gymnasts.