In our new All Access we check out the Level 10’s from Buckeye Gymnastics in Ohio. Listen in as Buckeye director Kittia Carpenter and team coaches Becky Doggette and Anamaria Bican Roe begin the routine preparation for the upcoming (we hope) 2021 competition season. In this workout you are going see high level of skill while working and focusing on the form, execution and performance quality of the skills and routines.
Event Timestamps: Floor 0:13 | Beam 6:06 | Vault 19:57 | Bars 25:49
Our next 20 questions athlete is Retoshia Halsell of Champion Gymnastics in Kentucky. I absolutely love watching this athlete on the competition floor, she definitely has her own personality and charisma. Retoshia, who moved up the levels pretty quickly, started gymnastics at the age of 9 and at 16 is a 3rd year Level 10 which is super impressive. Toshia, as her friends & teammates call her, does gymnastics with effortless power. Whether she is soaring through the air on almost everything she does from her full twisting Yurchenko to her full in, she is a joy to watch. Toshia is no stranger to having her incredible gymnastics recognized by the Region having won 2 Yahtzee Awards the last two years (Best Bar Combo 2019, Best Floor Music 2020). Retoshia has been on my radar for a few years now, I look forward to seeing where this year takes her. Currently Retoshia is preparing for the upcoming season, you may of saw her recently in the video for the JPAC College Camp and tumbling across the Region 5 Insider Tik Tok, let’s get to know Retoshia a little better as 2020 is heading towards its end and the 2021 meet season soon begins.
How did you get into Gymnastics? How old were you? I use to do allstar cheerleading—since i was 2 and after 7 years of cheer while also playing basketball, i got tired of it and decided it was time to try another sport. That’s when i found a small local gymnastics team close by and went to open gym. then i tried out for the team. I started gymnastics when i was 9.
What is your favorite event? Why? Floor because it’s fun and i can tumble really well—an advantage i got from cheer.
Favorite Skill? Dream Skill? My favorite skill is jeagar on bars and my dream skill would be a standing full on beam. Also a double twisting full on vault.
Favorite part of Gymnastics? Why? Definitely the disciple and friends because it has made me a stronger person today.
Biggest Accomplishment in Gymnastics so far? Winning state on bars with a broken hip my first year of level 10.
1st thing you did when you were able to get back into the gym? Started tumbling immediately.
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. We was out for 3 months and the hardest thing for me was cardio and out of shape for sure. i had lost most of strength especially in my right arm because right before COVID, i had broke my elbow and was in a cast and never got to get back in the gym before we had the long break. So that was definitely challenging.
Most embarrassing meet or training meet? Nashville Nights when i did a cal hop on the high bar and my hand missed the bar and i hit my face on the bar. That was my first nose bleed in my life and we thought i had broke my nose.
Something you have learned from Gymnastics that you will take with you? Don’t give up when the going gets hard. Persevere and you will accomplish anything you put your mind to.
Who is your biggest role model? Why? I love Simone biles because it seems she does the impossible.
What is something that sets your gym and/or your team part? We do a lot of team bonding and our coaches have great bonds with the athletes.
What is your role on your Level 10 Team or you role in your gym in general? Right now i am the only level 10 in my gym training full time because all the others are hurt but i for the most part lead the gym. i feel as a great leader and a great aspect to the team. It is my job to remain healthy and overall work hard and lead by example.
Most memorable Gymnastics moment? This is when i won state with a broken hip after struggling all year because the first bar routine i had ever made at a meet in level 10, i won.
How would you explain the year 2020 to your future children/grandchildren? Very eventful, emotional, hard, and overall crazy. Ready to start the new year.
What is the most valuable piece of advice or wisdom your coaches have given you? To not give up and always have confidence in myself.
How did you stay motivated during your COVID Quarantine time out of the gym? Because it’s at my age where college coaches start to watch even thought i am not old enough for them to talk to be. But i need to remain focused on the end goal and that’s a full ride to a D1 college.
Do you have a nickname? If so what is it? What is the story behind it? Yes, Toshia. There isn’t really a story behind it, it is short for my real name, Retoshia.
What really makes you laugh? Pretty much everything, i laugh a lot. But joyful people with good, and funny attitudes.
If you could have any super power what would it be? Why? Maybe the power to change back time because there’s some times and moments i would like to undo and try again. including times at meets.
What is a question not on this list that should have been? What is my dream college school? That is the university of Florida (gators).
Bonus Question: Tell us something interesting about yourself……….. Something interesting about myself is that gymnastics came fairly quick and easier to me than most people. This is only my 7th year in gymnastics and i’m already in my 3rd year of level 10. I’ve skipped a lot of levels.
Senior International Elite Shilese Jones sat down with the Insider to talk about her upcoming competition in Japan, return from quarantine, the upgrades we will see in 2020ne oh yeah and “The Jones” is back. Shilese is excited and ready to get out there and compete again this coming weekend but eyes still set on preparation for the summer olympic qualifying season. She has upgraded on every event and is looking forward to adding all these upgrades into her routines during this season. Her focus has been to get consistent while focusing on merging the artistry with the skills for the complete package.
Our next 20 Questions athlete is 2021 Senior Olivia Bowsman. Olivia is a level 10 from BIG Gymnastics in Illinois. Olivia made a BIG jump in 2018 skipping level 9 and heading directly to level 10 she then qualified to the 2018 JO National Championships, not bad for an athlete who was a level 8 the season before. One thing I remember most about Olivia from those National Championships was her sky high full out dismount to a rocked stuck landing! Her feet did not move it was incredible. Olivia, who will be headed to Towson University next fall, is preparing for her last JO season with not only BIG Gymnastics but Region 5 as well. Let’s get to know Olivia a little better as she polishes up her routines and perfects her stuck landings for the 2020-2021 season.
How did you get into Gymnastics? How old were you?
I started out in rec classes at 4 years old. I quite after a year and decided to do cheerleading and figure skating. But I just missed gymnastics so much that I decided to come back at around 7 years old.
What is your favorite event? Why? My favorite event is bars because I love the feeling of excitement from catching a release move.
Favorite Skill? Dream Skill?My favorite skill would have to be a tkatchev and my dream skill would be an onodi on beam.
Favorite part of Gymnastics? Why?
What I love about gymnastics is that you are not just a part of a team, you are a part of a family. Your teammates become your sisters, and you know that they will be there to support you through absolutely anything.
Biggest Accomplishment in Gymnastics so far?
Making it to Nationals my first year as a Level 10.
1st thing you did when you were able to get back into the gym? Swing on bars. That’s the only thing I wanted to do as soon as I got back because I 
missed it so much.
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. I feel like this pandemic has changed our lives so incredibly much and has made me realize that I should never take a single thing for granted. Not being able to practice for 3 months was an eye opener for sure. I remember the first week back I was so sore that I could barely move. I realized that it was really just getting back into the swing of things that took longer than getting my actual skills back. At first, I would definitely say that it was difficult getting used to the new normal. All I wanted to do when I came back to training was give my coaches and teammates a hug, but I guess air hugs were good enough!
Most embarrassing meet or training meet? When I missed my foot off of the back of the beam on a round off dismount and I had to get back up and do another one. But this time was even better. This time, I missed my foot on my hurdle and as I went down, I missed my hand too. After that meet, I never did another round off dismount.
Something you have learned from Gymnastics that you will take with you? Gymnastics has taught me to realize that not every day is going to be perfect, and that’s ok. As long as you give it all that you had, then it was a good day.
Who is your biggest role model? Why? My biggest role model is my Mom. I strive to be the type of athlete that she was. She was a competitive figure skater and she always pushed herself to do the absolute best that she could every single day.
What is something that sets your gym and/or your team part? We have such an incredible bond that we truly are like sisters. Every single person on the team only wants the best for each other and to see everyone accomplish their dreams.
What is your role on your Level 10 Team or your role in your gym in general? I, along with the three other seniors on my team, are the leaders. We are the ones that people come to if they are having a bad day or struggling with something and just need someone to talk to.
Most memorable Gymnastics moment? When I stuck my dismount on bars at Nationals.
How would you explain the year 2020 to your future children/grandchildren? 2020 was a year where many amazing opportunities were missed. There were many tragedies that came out of this year, but it made me realize that nothing should ever be taken for granted. Your whole life can change in an instant without ever seeing it coming. Be grateful for each day!
What is the most valuable piece of advice or wisdom your coaches have given you? That it is okay to get upset of frustrated, but don’t be so hard on yourself to the point where you get nothing out of your day. Even if it’s not the greatest day, always find something good in it.
How did you stay motivated during your COVID Quarantine time out of the gym? I made sure to have a routine every day so that I would do everything that I needed to get done. We also had daily workouts over Zoom with the team which also helped a lot.
Do you have a nickname? If so, what is it? What is the story behind it?
Yes, everyone calls me Bowsman. But there’s really nothing too special about it since it is just my last name!
What really makes you laugh? When I’m hanging out with my friends; they always know how to put me in a better mood
If you could have any superpower what would it be? Why? I would want to have the ability to read minds because I think it would be so cool to know what other people are thinking, or so I can help people.
What motivates you to work hard? What motivates me the most are the little girls in Level 3 and Level 4 because I was I their shoes before and I know how it felt to want to be like the big girls in Level 10. Now that I am one of the big girls, I just want to set an example for them and motivate them to achieve their dreams of getting to this point one day.
Bonus Question: Tell us something interesting about yourself……….. I love animals, but I’ve never had a pet!
This is our last Making Moves Monday for the 2020/2021 preseason. Region 5 looks ready to show off all the upgrades for this upcoming 2021 competition season. We are one week from November and itch worming closer to the start of the competition season. Enjoy our last list of upgrades and we look forward to see all the upgrades around region during this competition season.
Alayna Karl, GymNasti
Genna Lebster, Champion USA
Tkatchevs from Legacy Gymnastics (KY)
Maddy Pike, Perfection
Hannah Ford, Cincinnati
Ember Stennett, KIAGA
Mia Lucero, Premier West
Eliana Thompson, Twistars
Avery Chambers, BIG
Megan Hunt, Aspire Gymnastics
Maddie Wilt, GymNasti
Lauren Holt, Rochester GTC
Lisa Szeibert, JPAC
Savannah West, TOPs
