The Level 9s from Ohio really cleaned up in Diamondale, 5 out of the 8 Region 5 All-Around Champions hail from Buckeye country. Our next 2017 Level 9 Eastern National All-Around Champion is Kelsey Kollhoff of Gym-Nation. Not only did Kelsey top the podium in the All-Around, but she also hit a huge beam routine to take the 2017 Level 9 National Beam title. Lets find out how Kelsey celebrated her Senior 3 All-Around win, and what it was like competing in Diamondale.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! How does it feel to be the 2017 National Senior 3 All-Around & Beam Champion? It feels good to know that all my hard work paid off and that all the hard practices were worth it. Tell us how your meet went today? Walk us through each moment of your day, warm ups, events etc…. We started on vault and warm ups were really good, Once warm ups were over we did a chant and then started. I wasn’t nervous at all and my first vault was really good. My second Vault landed a little short but it was still good. We went to bars and I started to get a little nervous because bars is my weakest event. We started warming up and warm ups were really good. My routine was probably the best one I’ve ever done in my whole life. After bars I could relax because beam and 
floor are easy for me. Beam warm-ups didn’t go as well as planned because my switch leap wasn’t really working but I figured it out. I wasn’t nervous for my beam routine because I knew I could hit. I hit my routine with no wobbles until my last pivot turn but my dismount was good and it still scored well. We went to floor and warm –ups were really good. I was last so I had to stay warm. I almost fell on my double back, so I thought “I need to make the rest of this routine perfect to make up for that” and the rest was really good. It was my best meet of the year. What do you normally do between events to stay focused and ready for the next event? In between events I use my stress relief hand sanitizer and I only think about 
the event I am going to. Tell us about the atmosphere of the meet compared to regular season meets you have been too. The atmosphere is a lot calmer, it’s a lot less stressful and the whole experience was a lot more fun. What is it like being part of Region 5 at Eastern Nationals? (be descriptive) Being part of the Region 5 team is one of the most fun times I’ve ever had. All the girls are really supportive of each other and I loved that all the girls were really friendly and I think we will all be friends for a very long time. All of the other coaches were very supportive and cared about everyone as well. How has your experience been here at Nationals? What have you been doing besides competing? This experience is one I will always remember. I have been hanging out with my cousins who live here and I toured the University of Michigan and watched my cousin’s lacrosse game.
When the meet is over what is or what was the first thing you did to celebrate your win? On Sunday, I went to the Mall with my cousins to get my ear cartilage pierced and then went to Michigan State University for lunch and Ice cream. 
Other than becoming National Champion, what was one highlight of the meet for you today? One highlight of the meet was hitting my bar routine and getting my highest score of the season. Anything crazy or funny happen during your meet today? Something funny that happened was when I put my tattoo on it got messed up and it looked really bad How does Region 5 compare to the other Regions out on the competition Floor? What sets Region 5 apart? Region 5 is more like a family and everyone cares about everyone. I think that is what sets Region 5 apart from the other regions. Who inspired you the most today? What did they say to you? How did you get 
amped up and motivated today? Coach Steve from Illinois inspired me the most he hyped us all up before and after every event. The thing that he said that really inspired was “ Today is the day your dreams come true… Make it count” He helped for every event and made the whole meet a more fun experience.
Congratulations to Kelsey, her coaches and her family on an excellent 2017 Level 9 National Championships. Stay tuned for our final Eastern All-Around Champion as we wrap up the coverage of the 2017 Level 9 Eastern National Championships held right here in Region 5.
