Gymnastics Revolution’s Level 8 team, though small, looked to impress at USA Gymnastics in Watertown, on Sunday, January 18.  Mollie and Tia entered their first competition of the season as brand new Level 8’s, yet competed as the veterans that they have become.  With equipment issues and a slew of new skills to contend with, Mollie and Tia drew from there past experiences, and performed admirably at their season’s first meet.

Neither Mollie nor Tia hit their best possible vaults on the first event, yet they moved confidently to the bars.  Mollie’s routine was less than perfect, while Tia had a near flawless exercise, which was marred only by her dismount. 

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This was the turning point for Mollie, who, despite a fall on a difficult skill series on the balance beam, scored an 8.9.  Tia’s beam routine had a similar fall, and she managed to nail her dismount.

The girls moved to the floor exercise, where Tia hit her first pass with incredible power, and Mollie wowed the crowd with her energetic performance.  Tia’’s 8.35 and Mollie’s 8.7 were both good for first place finishes in their respective age groups.  At the end of the meet, both girls agreed that this small local meet was a good first meet for their season, in which high levels of success are expected.

In addition, their coach, Brian, pointed out that there is a lot of work to be done.  The girls’ performances may have been enough for high marks (Tia placed second All Around, and Mollie placed first), but there is room for improvement.  Watch for Mollie and Tia to make their mark on Connecticut this year in Level 8!