20 Questions with Universals Jenna Olshefski

December 8, 2020

December is here! This CRAZY 2020 is a few weeks shy of finally being over! Please make sure to yell JUMANJI at Midnight on NEW YEARS! Anyways, we only have a few more Tuesdays left in 2020 to feature some of our most talented Level 10 athletes. Today we are recognizing Jenna Olshefski of Universal in Ohio. Jenna first caught my eye when she won the 2018 Level 9 Eastern National All-Around & Uneven Bars Titles in Rochester New York. Jenna, who is small but mighty, has been making waving as a Level 10 ever since those National Championships. I absolutely LOVE watching this athlete on the competition floor, she is fantastic on every event. However, her balance beam dismount is by far one of my favorites it is so unique and rarely seen at this level (Click Here). As we embark on a new season with uncertainty, I am looking forward to seeing what 2021 [and beyond] holds for this talented young athlete. Jenna, is always on my list of “ones to watch” from Ohio and this year will not be any different. Let’s get to know Jenna a little better as she prepares to head into the unknown that is 2021 as she begins her journey to the 2021 National Championships.

How did you get into gymnastics? How old were you? I was always crazy as a kid and had a ton of energy, so my parents decided to sign me up for a tumble class at a gym near our house. As time passed, I continued to enjoy going to the gym and stuck with it ever since! I started to move up to rec classes when my coach asked if I ever considered the team program. I never gave a thought about taking gymnastics seriously but willingly jumped into the team program!

What is your favorite event? My favorite event is either vault or beam. I love the power that goes into vault but I have also always loved beam just because it’s fun to do new skills but also incorporate dance in the routine.

What is your favorite skill to train/compete? What is your dream skill? One of my favorite skills is my full-out on floor, which I have recently started working on for the 2021 season. Before I started training my full-out, I always wanted to do an E pass on floor whether it was a full in, full out, or double layout. I’m excited that I made that dream a reality! As for now, my dream skill is to compete a Yurchenko 1 ½ on vault, which is also currently in the works!!

What is your favorite part of gymnastics? My favorite part of gymnastics is doing what I love surrounded with the people I love. Gymnastics is such a rewarding sport, once you’ve put the work in. There is nothing better than achieving your goals by competing a skill, or just training a fun skill with your coaches and teammates by your side lifting you up the whole time. The relationships I have made with my teammates is an unforgettable bond that I am so thankful for!

What is one of your biggest accomplishments In gymnastics so far?One of my biggest accomplishments so far is becoming an All Around/Beam National Champion at Easterns in 2018.

What was one of the first things that you did when you were able to get back into the gym from quarantine? The first thing we did once we got back into the gym was a lot of cardio, strength, and conditioning to get our bodies back into “gymnastics shape”. Although I worked out over quarantine to maintain my strength and shape, actually working out in the gym was a challenge at first since it had been so long.

Talk about the struggles you face getting back into the gym after being off for so long? My gym was closed for about 3 months. Like most gymnasts, I have never had that much time off of practice since I started gymnastics at the age of 4. Getting back into the swing of things after that break went pretty well for me. As I was home for so long, I began to miss gymnastics more than I could imagine which made me more motivated to work hard to both get my skills back and prepare for the next season. During quarantine, I started making goals for what I wanted to accomplish when I could return to the gym. These goals, and my built up motivation started a fire in me to get my skills back, and even add upgrades too 🙂

What Is one of your most embarrassing Gym or me moments? My most embarrassing meet was Circle of Stars in 2019. This was my first ever meet as a level 10. I did not expect the change from level 9 to level 10 to be so difficult. At this meet, I fell on the floor, twice on the beam, and had to scratch bars (which I have never scratched an event before…ever). This experience was definitely not the best I’ve ever had, but it opened my eyes to what to expect in level 10 and showed that it’s okay not to be perfect. From this meet forward, I gradually improved and became more experienced. I ended this season winning beam at the Ohio State Championships and placing 2nd on floor at Region 5 Championships. This experience helped me realize that wherever you start, you can always get better and learn from your mistakes.

What has gymnastics taught you that you will take with you once you’ve moved away from the sport? Gymnastics taught me that hard work truly pays off and if you put your mind to something, you can achieve it.

Who is your biggest role model? Why? My role could be either my mom or dad because they have always worked so hard for everything and constantly provide me with the love and support that I need.

What is something that makes your gym or team stand out among the rest? My gym stands out because of our close bond and our focus on technique on our skills rather than just doing a big skill to say you did it. Form and technique is always a priority, which helps the execution of our skills.

What is your role not only on your level 10 team but in your gym as well? My role on my team and in my gym is to push my teammates to always do the most they can to benefit themselves. I want to show that working hard pays off in the long run, even though it may not seem like the most fun thing to do in the moment.

What is your most memorable meet moment? My most memorable moment in gymnastics would have to be winning All Around at Level 9 Eastern Nationals.

How Will you explain the year 2020 to your future kids and grandkids? 2020 is a rough year for everyone, but we made it through. I saw a quote that I really liked that said, “This year, we built up our strength, so next year we can have our success”

What is the most helpful piece of advice or words of wisdom you received from your coaches? The most helpful piece of advice that my coach has given me is to worry about yourself and your gymnastics rather than looking to see what other people are doing. Although it may be hard to believe sometimes, I also learned that being hard on yourself never had a good outcome because sometimes you are better than you think you are 🙂

How did you stay motivated during quarantine when you were out of the gym? I stayed motivated over quarantine by trying to keep things as normal as possible. I communicated via FaceTime, Snapchat, and Text with my friends every day and kept a workout routine. I motivate myself to workout everyday because I wanted to stay in good shape for when we returned to practice. I wanted to do the best I could do so when we returned to practice I was ready to get going and make up for the missed time.

Do you have a nickname if so what is it and what is the story behind it? My nickname is “ski” because when I first came to my gym, my coach, like most people, had trouble pronouncing my last name (Olshefski). She and my teammates started calling me “ski” and to this day it has stuck.

What really makes you laugh? My friends make me laugh the most. Both my teammates and school friends have similar senses of humor as me so we can all laugh at just about everything when we are together.

If you could have one superpower what would it be? I would love to be able to time travel to see people from my past and to see what the world was like a long time ago. I would also love to see my parents growing up as kids!

What are your goals for this upcoming season? My goals for this year are to make it to Nationals and to be more confident in myself, and my gymnastics.

Technique Thursday: Improving Hurdles, Arm Position and Speed with Bands

Jason MacDonald

December 3, 2020

Rachael Gardner from Cincinnati came up with some band drills to help improve hurdles, arm position and speed on for Yurchenko Vaults. Rachael talks about having issues with hands turned out on the round offs and the arms not pulling down fast enough. She also shows a band drill for making sure the hips move forward as the gymnast hurdles into the roundoff. These are good side stations during your vault workout to help improve these important aspects of vaulting.

20 Questions with Senior Avah Anthes (Chalkheadz)

December 1, 2020

Our next 20 Questions Athlete is truly a diamond in the rough! Avah Anthes, of Chalkheadz Gymnastics in Ludington Michigan, has one of the most unique gymnastics stories going from Xcel to Level 10 in less than 5 years. I first noticed Avah, in 2013 when she was a tiny Xcel athlete turning heads at the Regional Championships that year. When coaching at Xcel meets, part of me tends to sometimes think “why isn’t she doing JO?” which there can be numerous reasons and answers to that question, but you can just sometimes tell when a kid has the potential to go far in this sport. That is what I thought when I first saw Avah all those years ago. Then BAM one day there she was at Level 9 State Meet throwing a handspring front tuck vault with so much power it was eye-catching. Come to find out her parents opened their own gym up in Ludington. I make sure to try and catch her vaults when even I am able to do so. However, there is more to Avah than just a stellar vaults, she also excels on the floor & uneven bars. Avah, who is in her senior year, did not let the pandemic slow her down she has upgraded her routine all over the gym and looks ready to take on her senior season. I will continue to follow this young lady to see where her gymnastics path leads her. I definitely could see this “diamond in the rough” making JO Nationals this year and securing a spot on a collegiate team for the fall of 2021. So, let’s get to know Avah a little better as she gears up for the “hopefully” 2020-2021 season here in Michigan and finishes her Club gymnastics career out in the best way possible. College coaches, if you have not heard of this girl check her out she could do big things for any team and she just seems to be getting better and better.

How did you get into Gymnastics? How old were you? I was about 3 1/2 when I started gymnastics. I was put in gymnastics by my mom because I used to climb and swing on things around our house and she wanted me in a safe environment to do so so that I wouldn’t hurt myself.

What is your favorite event? Why? I love vault. It’s my favorite because to me it feels like I’m flying. I’ve always just enjoyed doing it ever since I first started gymnastics

Favorite Skill? Dream Skill? My favorite skill is either my vault: front handspring pike 1/2, or my bars dismount: double layout. My dream skill is a double layout on floor.

Favorite part of Gymnastics? Why? My favorite parts of gymnastics are learning new skills and the competitive aspect of gymnastics. I like learning new skills because it’s fun and also keeps me motivated because when I try a new skill I’m like “Okay now I want to do this in my routine”. I like the competitive aspect because I am a competitive person myself, and competing is fun to show off my routines and it pushes me to be my best

Biggest Accomplishment in Gymnastics so far? My biggest accomplishment is winning all around at the 2020 Level 9 Elevate the Stage meet in Toledo. I was proud to win this meet because I had a little bit of a rocky start to my season so being able to nail my routines and win this meet showed myself how much my hard work had paid off.

1st thing you did when you were able to get back into the gym? I didn’t really have a break but I worked basics to improve my form. After I returned to working old and new skills for the upcoming season.

Talk about returning to training post COVID, being out for so long (how long?) The struggles, successes, how long it took to get skills back and how it was adjusting to our new normal. Well a benefit of my parents owning my gym was I didn’t really have to take a break. We still limited my gym time a little to make sure we could deep clean in between, but overall I didn’t have much of a break. However when I was at home I still did home workouts and flexibility work.

Most embarrassing meet or training meet? I don’t know if I necessarily had an embarrassing memory. I have rough meets where I fell on every event which was frustrating as well as embarrassing to me, but I also took that as a motivator to work harder.

Something you have learned from Gymnastics that you will take with you? Overcoming adversity and perseverance. My gymnastics career hasn’t been easy in any way. I’ve had to overcome many things including being forced to take a year off because my dad (my parents are divorced) made me take a year off after my old coaches sided with my dad and testified against my mom and I. They said I had no dedication and no drive to do gymnastics since I wasn’t going to stay at thier gym. I had to relearn the correct technique for skills for over a year because the gym I used to go to never taught me correctly. I had to work my shoulder flexibility a ton because my shoulders weren’t flexible enough to get my arms up far enough to pass my ears and the physical therapist I worked with just told me that I wasn’t going to be able to and I wouldn’t be able to get my shoulders up that far. I was also injured 2 years ago with an injury so bad that the doctors told my parents I wouldn’t ever do gymnastics again. But these things never stopped my from doing my sport. In fact, I was only out for a few days before I went back to the gym after getting injured and having my first surgery to put my ankle back inside my body since I had an open dislocation.

Who is your biggest role model? Why? My mom and stepdad are my role models. They’ve taught me so many things in my life and supported me through everything no matter what. They’re both very hardworking and determined people and they’re the type of people I want to be when I grow up.

What is something that sets your gym and/or your team part? I am a one person team and something unique is that I travel to other gyms that allow me/ invite to practice as one of their gymnasts a few times a week since I don’t have a team to train with.

What is your role on your Level 10 Team or you role in your gym in general? Well I’m the only level 10 (or J.O gymnast for that matter) in our gym so I would say my role in our gym is a leader or role model. I feel I need to set a good example for the younger gymnasts in our gym since many of them look up to me and tell me they want to do what I do. I also coach some of the recreational classes at my gym, which is fun because I get to help the younger gymnasts do what I love to do and I like helping them reach their goals.

Most memorable Gymnastics moment Nailing my vault at Circle of Stars 2020. I got a 9.8 which was the highest scoring vault in my session.

How would you explain the year 2020 to your future children/grandchildren? It was unreal and crazy, but also a great learning experience for everyone. We had to learn and adapt to things that seemed unimaginable, but we also got to get closer to our family and loved ones.

What is the most valuable piece of advice or wisdom your coaches have given you? Even though it can be a hard piece of advice to follow at times, the most valuable piece of advice from my coach is that you have to believe in what you do. If you don’t mentally believe it, you won’t be able to physically do it.

How did you stay motivated during your COVID Quarantine time out of the gym? Well even though I didn’t have much of a break I still kept myself motivated by setting goals, and watching gymnastics videos and meets on YouTube. Setting goals made me work for something and watching videos allowed me to dream and want to be able to do the things I watched. It also allowed me to watch things I could apply to my own skills to make my training that much better.

Do you have a nickname? If so what is it? What is the story behind it? I don’t have a nickname.

What really makes you laugh? My youngest brother makes me laugh all the time, even when I’m having a bad day. I enjoy spending time with him in and out of the gym because he brings so much joy and laughter into my life.

If you could have any super power what would it be? Why? I think if I had to choose just one it would be to fly. I feel like it would be unlike anything else and just so fun.

What is a question not on this list that should have been? Add your question here and answer it. What has been the most challenging part of your gymnastics career? I had to overcome many things as mentioned in question 9, but overcoming my injury was pretty tough. I had an open dislocation of my ankle which first of all several doctors said they haven’t seen anything like it. I had to relearn to walk, run, jump,etc. Literally all the things I was used to doing my whole life I had to relearn which wasn’t as easy as some may think. I had to get myself to stop compensating for my injured side once I learned to walk, run, and jump again. Something that’s also been a challenge in my career is bars. I’ve always struggled on bars no matter what level I was at. Bars has been something I’ve really had to work on over the years to get y skills and to fix my form.

Bonus Question: Tell us something interesting about yourself………..I’ve only been a J.O athlete for 5 going on 6 years. I was level 4 state champion and then my old gym decided not to do levels anymore so I was switched to Xcel for 5 years. Then I moved to my current gym and had to test out of 4 and 5, I skipped 6, and then competed 7,8, and 9 for 1 year each. Now I’ll be a level 10.

20 Questions with 2021 Senior Kemeny Berthiaume (Bay Valley)

Kim Dowis

November 24, 2020

Our next 20 Questions Athlete is a 2021 Graduating Senior, which is absolutely crazy, Kemeny Berthiaume of Bay Valley Academy. I have known Kemeny since about 2012 when we were both at Midland Gymnastics. I always knew Kem would achieve her collegiate goals. She always had something special about her and her gymnastics. Kemeny has always been a joy to watch with her beautiful long lines, lovely extension and calm showmanship, you could tell that from a young age that she would go far in this sport. In 2017, Kem achieved her first big goal of qualifying to the 2017 Level 9 Eastern National Championships, the following year she begin her journey as a Level 10 with goals of not only qualifying to the JO National Championships, but earning a spot on a collegiate gymnastics team. Kemeny, was primed and ready to make an impact in 2020, but COVID derailed every ones plans. Kemeny, who attends Western High School in Auburn Michigan, will achieved one of those goals in the fall. She will be continuing her gymnastics career at Eastern Michigan University. It has been a joy to watch Kemeny grow into the beautiful gymnast and young lady that she has become and I cannot wait to continue to follow her journey as she prepares to wrap up her club career with not only Bay Valley, but Region 5 as well. So let’s get to know Kemeny a little better as she tries one last time to earn a coveted Dream Team spot at the 2021 JO National Championships before preparing for the next chapter of her journey.

How did you get into Gymnastics? How old were you? I got into gymnastics because I was a very active baby. I started originally with a tumbling class at 4 years old.

What is your favorite event? Why? My favorite event is bars. I enjoy swinging and using upper body strength.

Favorite Skill? Dream Skill? My favorite skill is a front lay rudy. A dream skill I have is a full in on floor.

Favorite part of Gymnastics? Why? My favorite part is competing, because I get to show all my family and friends what I have worked on.

Biggest Accomplishment in Gymnastics so far? Level 9 nationals and competing my 4th year level 10 this year.

1st thing you did when you were able to get back into the gym? Kip on bars.

Talk about returning to training post COVID, being out for so long (how long?) The struggles, successes, how long it took to get skills back and how it was adjusting to our new normal. The first month was definitely a struggle with soreness and getting back strength, flexibility, and cardio. It took me about a month and a half to fully maintain what I was working on before. I seemed to adjust better than what I was expecting.

Most embarrassing meet or training meet? Falling on my butt after a great floor routine on my last pass.

Something you have learned from Gymnastics that you will take with you? I’ve learned how to be a leader, and many life lessons from my coaches I will remember forever.

Who is your biggest role model? Why? My biggest role model is my Dad because he can always find a positive way to put something and always makes me laugh and have a good time.

What is something that sets your gym and/or your team part? Something that sets my team apart from others is the bond we have between the girls. We all understand each other and can talk about whatever and know we will be supported and encouraged throughout the whole way.

What is your role on your Level 10 Team or you role in your gym in general? I am considered a leader. I try to show leadership to the upcoming gymnast who will soon hold my spot. I try to encourage and show hard work to inspire them to do the same

Most memorable Gymnastics moment? A memorable moment I had was in Level 10 hitting a 9.55 on beam the last meet before everything was shut down.

How would you explain the year 2020 to your future children/grandchildren? I would explain 2020 was a definite blow and ruined a lot of sports.

What is the most valuable piece of advice or wisdom your coaches have given you? Hard work beats talent every time

How did you stay motivated during your COVID Quarantine time out of the gym? Our coaches held zooms at times to work out most days and gave us encouragement and told us this could actually be a good thing for us.

Do you have a nickname? If so, what is it? What is the story behind it? Yes. My nickname is Kem. I´ve been called that since it was a little easier for people to pronounce then Kemeny.

What really makes you laugh? What really makes me laugh is when my family and I go on a vacation and not everything goes as planned and people start to argue.

If you could have any superpower what would it be? Why? If i could have a superpower it would be to fly. This is because flying places and being able to be weightless would be amazing.

What is a question not on this list that should have been? What is your favorite meet you have ever competed at? My favorite meet I ever competed at was the Khalari meet in Ohio. It was always a great facility and their equipment was nice.

Bonus Question: Tell us something interesting about yourself……….. I love to bake and make cool foods.

Eye on 5: Jacey Vore, JPAC | Day in the Life of a Region 5 Gymnast

Jason MacDonald

November 19, 2020

Our Eye on Five series has returned with a new twist to it focusing on the Day in the Life of a Region 5 Gymnast. Our first episode is with 2019 JO National All Around Champion and future Michigan Wolverine Jacey Vore from JPAC. Jacey takes us through a few days of her life that mixes virtual and in person school, training, photo shoots, baking and more. Jacey is in her senior year and preparing for her last club season.

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