*(Photos are following the article)
Press Release January 8, 2005 Jacksonville Gymnastics
HUFF ‘N PUFF’S JACKSONSONVILLE GYMNASTICS COMPETITIVE
TEAM WINS BIG IN FIRST MEET IN 2005
It was a wonderful weekend in the world of competitive gymnastics for Jacksonville Gymnastics-- the USAG Junior Olympic Competitive Team at Huff ‘n Puff. The Team entered their five levels-- Four, Five, Six, Seven and Eight--in the Yankee Doodle Dandy Meet that was held at the Pine Bluff Convention Center and hosted by Flip-Flop Gymnastics Academy. Three hundred gymnasts, representing fifteen Arkansas teams, attended this two-day, four-session meet. The competing teams were: Arkansas Gymnastics Training Center, Delta Gymnastics, Dorsey’s Gymnastics, Flame Gymnastics, Flip-Flop Gym and Cheer, Hot Springs Gymnastics, Jacksonville Gymnastics, North Little Rock Community Center, River City Gymnastics, Russellville Dance and Gymnastics, Sharon’s Gymnastics, Southwest Arkansas Gymnastics, Tumble Room Gymnastics, Westside YMCA and X-Treme Gymnastics. Team trophies were awarded for each level and each gymnast was awarded a plaque that designated the individual’s all-around placement in each of the four events—the vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.
The five levels of the Jacksonville Gymnastics Team brought home the four first-place team trophies and a second-place team trophy, as they competed against some of the larger Arkansas teams. Additionally, many of the Team’s gymnasts won top individual event awards and several won the individual all-around awards for highest total scores on the four events.
Seventy-five gymnasts, ages six years to twelve plus, competed in the Friday night Level Four session. Jacksonville Gymnastics competed seventeen of its twenty-three Level Four team members in this session and they won the first-place team trophy. This makes “four for four” for the Jacksonville Level Fours--four meets attended thus far this competitive season and four first-place team trophies won by them. The following gymnasts also won top individual all-around awards:
Age seven Sara Jane Womack Second Place
Age nine Lauren McKibben First Place
Age ten Kelsy Founds First Place
Age eleven Caitlyn Dillon First Place
Age twelve Meagan Trotter Second Place
Eleven members of the Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Five team competed in the Saturday afternoon session in which a total 78 gymnasts participated. The hometown Level Five team proudly won the first-place team trophy as they competed against these larger teams. This is the second first-place team trophy that the Level Five gymnasts have won this season, in addition to a second-place and fifth-place team award. The following Level Five gymnasts also won top individual all-around awards for their age bracket:
Age Seven Erica West First Place
Age Seven Haley Edgin Second Place
Age Nine Samantha Gray First Place
Age Ten Cassidy Eberle Second Place
Age Eleven April Pitts First Place
Seventy-eight Level Six, Seven, Eight and Nine gymnasts competed in the early morning session. Jacksonville Gymnastics again won the top team trophies for three of these levels.
The ten Jacksonville Level Six gymnasts, who range in age from nine to thirteen years, won their fourth First-Place Team Award Saturday and this also makes the Level Six Team proudly “four for four.” Also, the following team members won top individual all-around awards for their age bracket in the Level Six Session.
Age Nine Reagan Bennett First Place
Age Nine Courtney Ellis Second Place
Age Eleven Kierra Daniel Second Place
Age Thirteen Audrey Nettles First Place
Levels Four, Five and Six compete “compulsory” skills at their individual level on each of the four events. All routines for each event are competed in the same manner for their level, with skills becoming progressively more difficult on each level. The gymnasts who compete at Levels Seven through Ten, are known as “optional gymnasts” and they compete “optional routines” on the floor exercise and balance beam and different and more difficult routines and skills for the uneven bars and vault. The individual gymnast chooses her own music for her floor exercise routine. These optional routines are choreographed by the team coaches, or in some cases, by outside choreographers who are paid to choreograph the routines. These outside choreographers are paid from $200 to $300 for each routine; however, the Jacksonville Gymnastics floor routines are all choreographed by the team’s own Head Coach Laurel Spears and the beam routines are choreographed by Coach Erin Wunderl.
Because optional skills are more difficult, the competitive sessions for these levels do not usually begin until later in the season. The Jacksonville Level Seven and Eight Teams competed in one very large meet in December. The nine members of the Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Seven team won the second-place team trophy in their last meet and earned the First-Place Team Trophy at this meet. The Level Seven team members who also won individual all-around team awards are:
Age Eleven Kayla Edgin First Place
Age Eleven Taylor Rai Johnson Second Place
Age Twelve Taja’ Mitchem First Place
This is exceptionally gratifying to Taja’ and the team. Taja’ began competing only last year and she started as a level five gymnast, having skipped Level Four. In this her second competitive year, Taja’ was moved to Level Seven, skipping Level Six. Team member Hannah Womack was also moved from Level Five to Level Seven, and Hannah is only nine years old.
This Jacksonville Gymnastics team was formed in 1998 when Head Coach Laurel Spears began competing eleven gymnasts at Level Four, after having taught these new gymnasts for only one year. The team has added a new level of competition nearly every year and has now expanded to 60 competing members. And this year, Level Eight was added to the team for their first competitive year. The Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Eight Team Members are Emily West, age eleven; Sarah McAlister, Age 13; Jessica Wilde, age 15; and Meaghan Townsend, age 16. Attaining Level Eight is not an easy achievement. These gymnasts are dedicated athletes who began taking gymnastics at a young age for one or two hours a week. Over the years the gymnasts have added to their skills and have gradually worked up to practicing and working out at least three hours a day for three to four days a week. This was also just the second meet for Jacksonville’s Level Eight Team to compete and they won the Second Place Team Trophy.
Age Eleven Emily West Second Place
Age Thirteen Sarah McAlister Second Place
Having a team the size of the Jacksonville Gymnastics team takes a lot of work, not only by the gymnasts, but it also requires having knowledgeable staff members who can coach the skills to the team members while understanding what the gymnast is experiencing including their highs and lows. Head Coach Spears is assisted in this large task by very able and experienced coaches. These coaches are Erin Wunderl, Shane McDonald, Stacy Holleman, Denise Townsend, Lois Bryan, Christy Ellis, and Bobby Churches. It is also very important to have the support of the proud parents. Huff ‘n Puff is very fortunate to have all of the above – the skilled, talented gymnasts, the knowledgeable and understanding coaches, and last but not least, the supportive parents. The Jacksonville Gymnastics Team members are from not only Jacksonville, but also Cabot, Beebe and Ward, Sherwood, North Little Rock, Maumelle, Little Rock, Mabelvale and Bryant. The team also has seven sets of sisters who compete on the team and one sister and brother set, now that Jacksonville Gymnastics has a men’s competition team. The team has three coach and daughter sets, also.
The team, parents and coaching staff are all very proud of this week’s accomplishments at the Yankee Doodle Dandy Meet with the team bringing home four first-place team trophies for Levels Four, Five Six and Seven and a second-place team trophy for Level Eight.
The next competitive meet for Levels Five, Six, Seven and Eight will be at Springfield, Missouri, and two weekends after that, the entire team will travel to Shreveport, Louisiana, for another large meet.
Jubilant Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Four Team Members Celebrate First-Place Team Award. The young team members won their fourth first-place team award at the Yankee Doodle Dandy Meet held at Pine Bluff Convention Center. The team members competed Friday night with 75 gymnasts representing large teams from across Arkansas.
Level Five gymnasts from Jacksonville Gymnastics enjoy displaying their First-Place Team Trophy after a hard-fought meet of 78 gymnasts from Arkansas. The Level Five gymnasts from left to right are: Cassidy Eberle, Haley Edgin, Erica West, Mackenzie Powers, Kaitlin Soderlund, Tori Spears, Nichole Pool, Tiffany Maxwell, Samantha Gray, Marissa Grissom and April Pitts. These gymnasts are from seven to eleven years old.
Jacksonville Gymnastics Level Six Team Members prepare for their introduction at their recent meet held at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. At this meet, the Level Six Team won the First-Place Team Trophy, their fourth first place in four meets. Team members from left to right are: Bria Wiggins, Rene’e LaFort, Audrey Nettles, Elise Guthrie, Brooke Nevins, Morgan Bussard, Madison Ellis, Courtney Ellis, Reagan Bennett and Kierra Daniel.
The Level Seven Optional Team members from Jacksonville Gymnastics USAG Competitive Team, ages nine to fourteen, happily display their hard-earned First-Place Team Trophy won at the Yankee Doodle Dandy Meet held Friday and Saturday at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. From left to right, these gymnasts are: Taylor Rai Johnson, Shannon Mavity, Sissy Ghormley, Kayla Edgin, Stephanie York, Missy Whittecar, Bonnie Brown, Taja’ Mitchem and Hannah Womack. All of the gymnasts are competing in their first year as optional gymnasts, Level Seven.
The four Level Eight team members of the Jacksonville Gymnastics Team are shown here with their Second-Place Team Trophy won at the weekend meet held at Pine Bluff. From left to right are Meaghan Townsend, Sarah McAlister, Jessica Wilde, and Emily West. The skills and gymnastics feats performed by these gymnasts are very difficult, i.e. fulls and layouts on the floor exercise, and giants and pirouettes on the bars, as well as more difficult feats on beam and vault.