Our next 2017 Level 9 Eastern National Champion hails from Perfection School of Gymnastics in Ohio. Anna Winger brought a second Eastern National All-Around title home to Perfection (her teammate won the junior 6 AA title), along with the Junior 8 Uneven Bars & Floor Title, lets get to know Anna and how the day went for her in Diamondale.
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CONGRATULATIONS!!!! How does it feel to be the 2017 National JR. 8 Bars, Floor, and All Around Champion? It feels great! I’ve worked so hard this season, and I’m so glad it all paid off.
Tell us how your meet went today? Walk us through each moment of your day, warm ups, events etc…. My meet went really good. I was a little nervous during warmups. It’s been a long season and I was just thinking about how I wanted to finish out my last competition strong. Floor started out pretty good. All of my warm up passes were great and I had a lot of confidence during my routine. On practice day I had a little trouble with vault, but my warm up turns were good. On my first vault, I landed a little short and took a few steps forward. I knew my second vault had to be good, so I made sure to be ready for the landing. The second vault was much better. We moved onto bars and I was feeling more relaxed. My warm up went great and I had no trouble with any of my skills. I was second up, which was good because I didn’t have to wait to long to go. When I landed my dismount, I felt a lot of relief. I had to wait a while before we rotated to beam, so I tried to stay warm while everyone else 
competed. I was last on beam, which meant I had a lot of time to think about everything before I competed. When I was next up, I went to a mat on the other side of the beam and did a few backhandsprings to get warmed up again. During my routine, I knew all I needed to do was stay on with minimum wobbles. When I landed my dismount, I heard a lot of cheers from the crowd and the rest of the team. I was so excited that I finished out my season strong.
What do you normally do between events to stay focused and ready for the next event? To stay focused between events, I usually try to mentally prepare myself by going through my routines a few times. After that, I try to stay calm and have fun with the rest of my teammates.
Tell us about the atmosphere of the meet compared to regular season meets you have been too.
The atmosphere was definitely a lot more exciting. I think the idea of it being the biggest and last meet of the season, gave everyone a little extra energy. The team was really supportive of each other and all of the girls and coaches interacted really well.
What is it like being part of Region 5 at Eastern Nationals? (be descriptive)
Being part of Region 5 is so much fun. We were definitely the loudest team and had the most supporters in the crowd. This gave the team so much more energy. Before each event we did a cheer and it kind of helped loosen everyone up a little.
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How has your experience been here at Nationals? What have you been doing besides competing?
Nationals is a really fun way to finish out the season. Besides competing, I went to the banquet after practice on Thursday. We had dinner and went on the t
our of the stadium.
When the meet is over what is or what was the first thing you did to celebrate your win?
Other than awards, I didn’t celebrate much immediately because a teammate from my gym was competing right after me, so I watched her. After she finished I went to eat with some friends before heading home.
Other than becoming National Champion, what was one highlight of the meet for you today?
The big highlight of my meet was definitely my bar routine. Bars is my favorite event and I’ve worked so hard this season to be able to make a good routine under pressure. That score was my highest this season and I was so excited that I was able to keep my momentum from the other events and bring it to bars.
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Anything crazy or funny happen during your meet today?
The coaches put together a cup of cheers. Before every event all of the girls and coaches did a cheer to help relax us and get us pumped up for the event we were on.
How does Region 5 compare to the other Regions out on the competition Floor? What sets Region 5 apart?
Region 5 stands out because of everyone’s team spirit. All of the region 5 teams are the loudest on the floor, and everyone interacts with each other so well. There’s always lots of cheering and enthusiasm from the all of the coaches and girls on the team.
Who inspired you the most today? What did they say to you? How did you get amped up and motivated today?
My teammate inspired me the most. The night before I competed, I watched my teammate, Katya, win the JR. 6 All Around title. I had doubts in my head if I was going to be able to do it, but seeing her win, really motivated me to do it as well.
Check out her 9.775 Eastern Bars Championship routine
Congratulations to Anna, her parents and the perfection staff on a great win at the Level 9 Eastern National Championships.
