Gymnastics Revolution – On the scene… 

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The 2006 I Love NY Cup was a sight to behold.  By now, most of the nation has heard of this meet, the largest in Region Six, held by Southern Tier Gymnastics Academy.  The level of the meet has increased over the years, and the excitement of the competition for both competitors and spectators has reached all time high levels. 

Mohini Bhardwaj, Olympic silver medalist, was on hand for the second year in a row.  Instead of a demonstration on the balance beam this year, she roared into the arena on the back of a Harley Davidson, and challenged Jake Blues, member of the famed Blues Brothers to a gymnastics show-down.  Level 10’s from Atlantic, STGA, GTC Rochester, Aerials, and many other top clubs ran into the arena under blaring music and spotlights, and then engaged in a top-level competition.                                                    Continued  ►

On Wednesday night before they left, the Gym Rev girls found themselves in a dark gym, hoping the power would come back on so that they could work out.  They wanted all the extra hours of practice they could get before heading to Phonenix, AZ for the Winter Sun Invitational. 

It was not to be, and the girls left disappointed, and knowing that because of travel, they would now have to go four days without training, and enter the meet without their final workout. 

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All eyes were on them as they entered the gymnasium at the University of Rhode Island.  Many teams had seen Allie, Taylor, Alanna, Lizzie, Destiny, and Rachel in their successful year last year as Level 7’s.  Many teams had heard about this team from Gym Rev winning all four events in the Team Competition at the State Championships.  But was it a fluke? 

With new skills to debut, the girls were nervous.  They were without Rachel, who was training at TOPs A camp in Houston for the weekend.  They were about to perform Tsukaharas, double flyaways, and handspring series that were brand new.  And they knew that people were watching, and watching carefully.                              Continued  ►

Gymnastics is a funny sport.  Last year, Gym Rev fielded not a single Level 9 or 10.  This year, Gym Rev has a solid Level 10 in Hope, and 5 Level 9’s who have never worn the burgundy sequins that are Gym Rev’s signature leotard.  Only Mollie, who has been a fixture at the gym since its opening, has a competitive history at Gym Rev.  Maddie, Nicole, and Alyssa were in the stands for the Rhode Island Invitational, but will soon join Rachel, Alex, Hope, and Mollie as they strive toward greatness.

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The Gymnastics Revolution teams train hard, but at this point in the season, nobody is training harder than the compulsory girls.  Only a week before their State Championship in New Haven, the girls came together in Kingston, Rhode Island for a wildly successful meet at the Rhode Island Invitational. 

The Level 6’s were led by the incredible performances of Lucy and Sam.  Working as a team, these 12 girls relied on one another to keep themselves focused and motivated throughout the event.  In the end, accepting the third place trophy, the Level 6’s are poised to move into their State Championship meet.  They will be strong, relying on Cortney’s beam routine, Sam’s bars, Lucy’s vault, and Hanna and Brittany’s floor routines.  Stay tuned to see their successes!                                                                         Continued  ►

GYM REV HOME MEET NOVEMBER 13, 2005

November 13, 2005 marked the biggest local meet in Gymnastics Revolution history.  In two large sessions, over 135 gymnasts from 5 gyms competed in an effort to improve their scores and qualify to the State Championships.

Gymnastics Revolution, hosting the event, fielded a team of 12 Level 4’s, 6 Level 5’s, and 12 Level 6 gymnasts.  The Level 5’s competed in the morning, and were led by Lauren, whose Floor score was the highest of the day, and whose All Around score placed her solidly in second place, only .025 behind the highest scorer of the competition.  Other Level 5’s of note from Gym Rev were Samantha, who finished third in the All around, and Noelle, who earned a spot at the State Championships this December.

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The United States has long been a force in the world community of gymnastics.  But how does a gymnast rise from a recreational program at the local gym into a world champion?   How are the “best” identified?  Who monitors their training, and develops the next Mary Lou Rettons and Carly Pattersons?  USA Gymnastics, the national governing body for the sport of gymnastics, is charged with this responsibility, and one of the methods that they use for this difficult task is the Talent Opportunity Program, or TOPs.

The TOPs program is a talent search and educational program for female gymnasts ages 7-11.  It measures flexibility, strength, speed, agility in these young athletes.  The highest-ranking gymnasts in these areas are invited to a National Level testing at the famed Bela Karolyi’s Ranch in Houston, where the very best gymnasts are carefully selected. 

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ALL STARS INDEPENDENCE DAY CUP JUNE 19, 2005

They even let the other teams relax a little.  Aurora started the meet on Beam, Andromeda on Bars, and Aquila on Bars.  The Independence Day Cup was on. 

Nobody thought Aurora was strong enough – they had lost two key gymnasts over the course of the session, and had only 5 scores to pull from.  Nobody, that is, except for their Coach.  Aquila started strong on Vault, but it was Andromeda jumping to an early lead on the Bars, thanks to top scores from Angela and Katherine. 

Aurora’s Beam sets were solid, but they didn’t look so outstanding.  They were waiting.  Aquila moved to Bars, where they had some struggles, but saw solid routines from Emily and Lauren.  Andromeda moved to Beam, and had to count a fall, despite Devi’s top performance.  Aurora performed well on Floor, but again, they were not outstanding.                                                Continued..►

INDEPENDENCE DAY CUP JUNE 19, 2005

Every year, the gymnastics season ends with Gymnastics Revolution’s Independence Day Cup.  2005 marked the fourth such event, and was without question, the best meet to date! 

There were three squads of gymnasts in the gym, and 4 ability groups.  While there was a competition for highest All Around Score, the focus of the day was to show the parents the skills and routines our young gymnasts have been working on.   We emphasize EFFORTS over RESULTS, and by that standard, we had 40 very successful gymnasts that afternoon! 

The day was topped by a huge Fathers’ Day Raffle, with a grand prize of over a hundred dollars worth of goods from Circuit City, restaurants, and other area vendors.

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PRESCHOOL INDEPENDENCE DAY SHOW JUNE 19, 2005

The 2005 Preschool Independence Day Show was the largest show Gymnastics Revolution has ever seen.  Over 75 young gymnasts signed up to share the day with us, and we weren’t disappointed!  Kids from our 4-5 Year Classes, 3-4 Year Classes, and Mommy and Me classes all came together on June 19 to show their parents their fantastic gymnastics. 

The day started with Miss Nicole leading a quick warm-ups, and rapidly proceeded into the gymnastics phase.  Anna, age 5, led the giant group of kids around the entire gym, performing cartwheels, handstands, pullovers, swings, and jumps on every piece of equipment in the building!

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LEVEL 6 CONNECTICUT STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MAY 22, 2005

The University of Bridgeport has been home to many successes for Gymnastics Revolution over the years.  Going back to Lizzie and Katie’s State Championships, and even farther back to Mollie and Kristen’s early Gym Rev competitions, many of our greatest gymnasts have competed in the Wheeler Recreational Center. 

This year’s Level 6 State Championships continued a long line of great performances, including Cortney’s gold medal beam performance, Sam and Brittany’s extremely tight competition for the All Around, and finally, a third place trophy to bring home to the gym.

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LEVEL 5 CONNECTICUT STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MAY 21, 2005

The girls of the Level 5 team at Gym Rev are learning what it means to be “athletes.”  Ruthann and Brian have been explaining and coaching these gymnasts to think like “athletes,” and act like “athletes.”  On Saturday, May 21, 2005, at the Wheeler Recreational Center of the University of Bridgeport, they figured it out. 

An athlete’s mind, unlike a regular child or gymnast, remains focused.  An athlete’s brain can filter out unimportant information.  An athlete finds a way to get things done.  Athletes recover from errors quickly, and athletes rely on their training when they are performing. 

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LEVEL 4 CONNECTICUT SECTIONAL, OLD SAYBROOK, CT.  MAY 15, 2005

Gymnastics Revolution’s youngest competitors visited Shoreline Gymnastics to wrap up their competitive season on May 15, 2005.  With a team of six gymnasts, the girls managed a fifth place finish in the Team competition, and several individual successes.

Starting on Vault, the team veteran, Samantha, turned in the high score, with a 9.1.  They were off to a strong start, with not a single score below 8.5.  On the bars, the girls were led by high scorers Samantha and Noelle, whose kips brought both of their scores to an 8.4.

The Gym Rev girls were one of the smallest teams in the gym, and were the youngest group of gymnasts, as well, so their big scores on Beam were even more exciting – Julia’s 8.55, Alexandra’s 8.6, and Noelle’s 9.1 kept the girls cheering. 

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LEVEL 8 State Championships, HARTFORD  CT.  April 10, 2005

The Level 8 State Championships for 8-11 Year Olds always is an intense competition between some of Connecticut’s biggest stars.  The gymnasts are always working hard for successes at this prestigious meet, which usually contains the most talented young gymnasts in the state.  This year’s State Championships did not disappoint.  It was a hot competition between 6 or 7 of the best.

Mollie arrived, and with a new calm swagger, began warming up.  She knew that the best gymnasts from NEGX, Arena, and Zero Gravity would be strong.  She also knew that this year, she had trained hard, and knew how to win. 

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Gymrev Level 7s Compete at State Championships, April 9, 2005.

Gymnastics Revolution’s Level 7 team has met up with some of Connecticut’s best gymnasts throughout the season.  They have seen some of the better teams at larger invitational meets, as well.  But when they entered Watkinson High School’s gymnasium for the Level 7 State Championships, they knew that they would have to hit a lot of routines just to stand a chance of placing as a team. 

“I felt like the girls looked good this morning; they were pumped and energetic.  But, after the morning session, we had some making up to do,” said coach Dawn Arigo. 

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JUDGES CUP, Saturday, April 2nd, 2005.

It just keeps getting better and better at Gymnastics Revolution!  The judges of Connecticut get together every year, and put on a competition of their own, the “Teddy Bear Tumble.”  Gymnastics Revolution has been absent from this competition for a few years, but in an exciting return this year, reminded the state that it belongs!  A champion in the Level 4 divisions, 2 champions at Level 5, and a champion at Level 6, Gymnastics Revolution was solid! 

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MARCH MAGIC, ALL STARS, Sunday, March 20, 2005.

The Reign is over –  Andromeda has been toppled – and as usual at a Gymnastics Revolution All Star Meet, it was done in dramatic form!  March Magic 2005 pitted all three All Star Teams, two of which had been revamped and strengthened over the course of the preceding session. 

Starting on the Balance Beam, Andromeda was solid, although not outstanding – their squad, missing team co-captain, Jen, felt confident as they moved to Floor.  Angela’s routine was impressive, and Kathryn’s was a high scorer, but Andromeda could feel the other teams building scores. 

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March Magic, Sunday, March 20, 2005.

Gymnastics Revolution’s end-of-the-session meet, March Magic, ran on Sunday, March 20th.  In the history of our program, we have never had so large a competition for our recreational gymnasts, and we were proud to see such great improvement and effort over the course of the day!

Gymnasts were awarded ribbons for their routines, and at the end of the day, everyone had four ribbons in their envelopes. 

The girls performed routines based on USAG’s Level 4 routines, and modifications were made based on each individual athlete’s skill level.  They rotated through the 4 Olympic Events, and the day finished with a great awards ceremony.

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St. Patty's Invite, Yale, New Haven, CT March 12, 2005.

March 12^th and 13^th, 2005 provided fun and exciting competition for the State’s Compulsory gymnasts.  Yale University’s Payne-Whitney gymnaseum held New Era Gymnastics’ St. Patty’s Day Cup, and Gymnastics Revolution’s level 4, 5, and 6’s were there.  

Head coach Brian admitted to an oversight, when he forgot to have his athletes wear some festive green, but the girls took that lapse in stride, and made up for it with some outstanding routines. 

At the end of the weekend, 3 more trophies were added to Gym Rev’s impressive collection, with the Level 4 team placing 6^th, the Level 5 team placing 3^rd, and the Level 6’s placing 3^rd.

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The 2005 AQUAFINA TEAM CHALLENGE

DAY TWO - OPTIONALS

They work harder than most.  They expect more than anyone from themselves.  They don’t settle.  And they plan to win.  The Gymnastics Revolution optional girls are a focused, serious, and powerful team, and they came into the Aquafina Team Challenge with something to prove.   

The coaches set a nearly impossible goal at the start of the competition.  Dawn and Brian asked the girls to hit 44 routines over the course of the day.  That’s 11 gymnasts, 4 events each, perfection.  Even the coaches were surprised at how close to that goal the girls came.  40 out of 44, with the top All around scores in every single age division they competed in.  31 scores of 9.0 or better.  The level 7 team trophy, and a huge help toward the ultimate prize, the Ultra-Team trophy (including gymnasts from all levels.)      Continued......  ►

The 2005 AQUAFINA TEAM CHALLENGE

The 2005 Aquafina Team Challenge at Gymnastics Revolution was an important training ground for the compulsory team at Gym Rev.  With almost half of the girls in a new level from the fall, and one brand new gymnast, Gym Rev was fielding a talented, but very inexperienced team.

The level 4’s entered the gym in the first session, excited about the meet, and looking very sharp in their new leotards.  They started on the Vault, where Noelle led her team with a 9.3.  In fact, the lowest score on Vault was an 8.55, from first time competitor Julia!  On the bars, Noelle once again led the team, followed closely by Lilly and Alexandra.  The balance beam was the team’s top scoring event, with four of the six girls scoring over an 8.0.  The finished up on Floor, and with six more solid routines, the Level 4 team had finished the Aquafina Team Challenge.

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