(Newswire.net — May 13, 2014) Dimondale, MI —
Gedderts’ Twistars USA Gymnastics Club dominated the Level 10 Junior Olympic National Championships earning two All Around Champion titles, 3 Uneven Bar Champion titles, 1 National Floor Champion title and 3 athletes qualified as J.O. National Team Members. Overall, Twistars’ athletes took home 25 medals, more than any other club in the United States.
Twistars posted a team score of 115.95 which ranks them the #1 Women’s Gymnastics Team in the Nation! In addition, Twistars is the number one ranked team on Uneven Bars and the number two ranked team on Floor Exercise in the Nation.
Twistars USA Gymnastics Club has a very distinguished and respected history of producing exceptional results at the annual National Championship Gymnastics events. In fact few clubs in the nation can claim a resume of accomplishments that compares to those achieved by the Twistars USA program.
2014 was one of the most successful National Championships ever for this storied program. Twistars USA is located in the small town of Dimondale, Michigan and yet consistently competes shoulder to shoulder with some of the mega gyms around the USA. Under the direction of 2011 USA World Team and 2012 USA Olympic Team Head Coach, John Geddert and his wife Kathryn, Twistars USA continues to impress the gymnastics world with spectacular results year after year.
Twistars USA Gymnastics 2014 Dream Team in Photo from Left to Right:
Carly Preston, Kai Rivers, Amanda Arnold, Lucy Jones, Anna Dayton, Rachel Cutler, Kamerin Moore, Delanie Harkness, Jori Jackard, Chloe Bellmore, Grace Williams, with Coach John Geddert
The 2014 Junior Olympic National Championships was held in Jackson, Mississippi the weekend of May 9-11. Twistars USA qualified 12 athletes to this prestigious competition, the highest number of athletes qualified by any club in the nation. And, from the opening round of competition it was apparent that they meant business.
In the Junior A age division (the youngest in the competition), Twistars USA’s talented Delanie Harkness and Kai Rivers finished an unprecedented first and second in the All Around competition. This is the first time on record that two athletes from the same gymnastics club have finished in the top two spots at a national championship meet. Placing in the top 4 spots qualifies these athletes to the USA Junior Olympic National Team. Delanie, who is on her way to graduating to the international elite level of competition, also captured the uneven bar and floor exercise event titles.
* Delanie’s National Championship Floor Routine can be seen here
* Kai’s National Championship Floor Rountine can be seen here
Two other members of the Twistars team, Jori Jackard and Chloe Bellmore, were members of the Junior A team representing Region 5. This team dominated the team results placing 1st overall in Regional Team standings. Jori earned a pair of 6th place finishes on Bars and Floor while Chloe chipped in with a 6th place finish on Floor.
In the Senior C division, an icon in Twistars/Michigan/USA Gymnastics history “three-peated” as the National All Around Champion.
Senior Grace Williams is one of the most accomplished Junior Olympic athletes that this country has ever seen. She proved it once again by capturing her 3rd All Around title and 2nd Uneven Bar gold medal in her illustrious career.
Grace will be heading off to college in June on a full ride athletic scholarship where she will be joining the 6th ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers in the fall of 2014.
* Grace’s National Championship Balance Beam Routine can be seen here
Senior Kamerin Moore, an athlete with an impressive resume of her own, captured the National Uneven Bar title in the Senior D age group.
Kamerin also placed 3rd on floor and 9th All Around. Although disappointed with the 9th place finish (due to a fall on balance beam) Kamerin can walk tall as one of the most accomplished athletes in Twistars history.
She too will be heading off to college in June on a full ride athletic scholarship and joining the Nebraska Cornhuskers for the next phase of her gymnastics career.
* Kamerin’s National Championship Uneven Bar Routine can be seen here
(*Videos provided by region5insider.gymnastike.org)
In a statement from Coach John Geddert “We have made a personal goal to assist our athletes in every way possible to meet their goals and aspirations in the sport of gymnastics. It’s so satisfying to see their dedication and commitment to excellence pay off with impressive competitive results at our national championships. Our athletes are a joy to coach as they have a vision of what they want to become as gymnasts. We, as coaches, simply provide them with a program that is supportive of their needs and one that points them in the proper direction. Now, certainly the road to success in any sport is filled with ups and downs. Our athletes have persevered and kept their vision as the guiding motivation to excel. We are so very proud of each and every one of them. For the time being, we feel fulfilled knowing that we have played a role in their successes. This feeling will last long enough to prepare the plan for next year. For now we will enjoy the moment and the bright eyed youth we have the pleasure of working with on a daily basis.”
Twistars USA played a strong role in contributing to Region 5 over all Team Championship victory and re-establishing it’s place at the top of the standings this year winning the Super Team award by almost ten points over second place. The Region won four of the eight age groups, took second in three and fourth in one. Other team members included Rachel Cutler, Sr B (9th AA and 4th Bars), Carly Preston, Jr C (4th Bars), Anna Dayton, Jr B (3rd bars), Amanda Arnold, Jr C, and Lucy Jones, Sr A.
Region 5 is represented by Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky.
About Gedderts’ Twistars USA Gymnastics Club
Twistars offers recreational gymnastics classes for girls and boys ages 18 months to 18 years old, including a free Trial Class. In addition, Twistars offers competitive team for boys and girls from beginning through Elite, Birthday Parties, Field Trips, Open Gym and an annual Free community fun day event for children and families called GymPalooza. For free tickets information on #GymPalooza14, visit www.GymPalooza.com