Story Photos
 Photo by Greg Ebersole These gymnasts from Kelso's Gymnastics 4 U club will compete in California this weekend. |
Kelso gymnasts to compete in California
Tuesday, January 16, 2007 7:23 AM PST
By Rick S. Alvord
Printable version
E-mail this articleIt's not unusual for kids to do flips when they learn a trip to Universal Studios is in the works.
For 18 area gymnasts, the flips are just the beginning. They're flying to a warmer climate this week with Kelso's Gymnastics 4 U club team for the Universal Studios GymFest, which begins Saturday at the popular Southern California theme park.
The Kelso squad has two teams competing in the West Regional Group Gymnastics Meet. Seven girls, ages 8-13, comprise Team A, while nine girls and two boys (ages 10-17) are on the more experienced Team B.
Twenty-five teams, featuring 280 athletes, are expected to attend the meet.
Gymnastics 4 U, which includes members from Kelso, Longview, Toledo, Castle Rock and Kalama, is the lone team from the Pacific Northwest heading to California.
If the gymnasts put half as much effort into performing as they did getting there, it'll be a successful experience.
"It basically cost $15,000 for us to get there, and most of it has been through fund-raising in the past year and a half," said Gymnastics 4 U coach Pamela Cays. "We had candle sales, butter-braid sales (pastry dough), casino trips, a demo clinic ... there was so much time and hard work put in to make this trip possible."
The club, located on South 13th Street in Kelso, is the lone gymnastics facility in Cowlitz County. It hosts Kelso High's home meets, as well as several major club competitions ---- including the Waverunners Classic on Feb. 24, featuring six teams and 100 gymnasts.
Finding a way to compete at Universal Studios, however, is the highlight of the club's year.
"I am so proud of the kids for working together to help make this happen. It's a big deal for them and they couldn't have done it without help from our community," Cays said. "Being the only team from our state to go is pretty cool for the kids, too."
Group Gymnastics is a relatively new component to the sport. Unlike individual competition, where scores are added together to determine a team winner, Group Gymnastics consists of squads with athletes of different ages and ability levels, at times mixed with girls and boys. They compete together in two events ---- group jump and group floor exercise.
In group jump, each squad performs two tumbling passes, two vaults and two mini-trampoline jumps. In floor, all gymnasts in the squad perform a group routine to music.
Gymnastics 4 U also sent a team to the 2005 regional meet at Knott's Berry Farm, with the "A" and "B" teams taking first and third, respectively, in their divisions.
Team A members making the trip to California on Thursday are Kaydee Shaw, Alisha Dearing, Allison Coordes, Danielle Tevis, Meagan Mueller, Mercedes Bornstedt and Cari Calabrese. Team B members include Ashlee Richards, Ashley Bonahoom, Cody Bonahoom, Sierra Richards, Shelbie Westervelt, Sharayah Dearing, McKenzie Saunders, Jolee Melink, Lukas Houser, Amy McCracken and Amanda Navolynski.
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