HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! We are starting 2021 off with a brand new set of 20 Questions! We will be recognizing our 2021 Graduating Seniors with some Senior specific questions.

Let’s get this new season started with our first 20 Questions athlete Savannah Kokaly. Savannah, who will be attending Cornell University in the fall, comes from a sports family both her parents are coaches (volleyball & softball) and her sisters are heavily involved in sports as well. As a youngster Savannah split her time between, the family sport, softball and, her sport, gymnastics. After success in softball Savannah ultimately chose to shift all of her focus to Gymnastics with hopes of earning a scholarship. I have known Savannah for quite sometime now, since she was a level 5, I have really seen this athlete grow up. I remember when Savannah was a Level 6 she could not land a flyaway for the life of her, she literally would go up and come down usually to her back on the mat. She had so much height and swing and she was so tiny she just over rotated. I remember when I first saw her actually land a dismount I was so excited for her and now she is sticking doubles flyways likes its nothing. However, I have always loved watching Savannah on the Floor Exercise from her very first optional floor routine to her current one, Savannah has always shown so much personality and performance in her routines! She usually goes for upbeat, big band music which fits perfectly with her style and  personality. I cannot wait to see what she chooses in college, I am definitely waiting in anticipation for that routine in the fall. So, with that being said, let’s get to know Savannah a little better as she heads into her final season with Bay Valley Academy and Region 5 before she trades in BVA’s pink & lime green for Cornells Red & Black. 

How did you get into Gymnastics? How old were you? I started gymnastics when I was two years old.  My mom signed me up for tumble class because my younger sister was just born and she wanted me to get my energy out.

What is your favorite event? My favorite event is definitely bars.  I love the feeling of swinging and the excitement I get after hitting a routine. 

What is your favorite skill to train/compete? What is your dream skill? My favorite skill I do is my new vault that I learned this year.  I do a yurchenko half on half off pike.  My dream skill is a flip flop layout layout on beam.

What is your favorite part of Gymnastics? My favorite part of gymnastics is my teammates.  They’ve grown to be more than teammates and I know they will always have my back no matter what.

What is your biggest accomplishment in Gymnastics so far? My biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far would have to be singing my National Letter of Intent to Cornell University.  It has always been a dream of mine to be a collegiate gymnast and it felt so amazing signing the piece of paper.

What is your most embarrassing meet or training moment? I have had a lot of embarrassing moments at meets, but my most embarrassing moment would have to be at the Sand Dollar Invitational.  I hit everything in warm-ups and fell on my mount right as my routine started.

What is something you have learned in Gymnastics that you will take with you once you have left the sport? I have learned countless things in gymnastics.  But the most important thing I have learned is to work as hard as I can everyday.  Especially this past year as there were many uncertainties of when we would be allowed to practice again.

Who are you biggest role models? Why? My biggest role model would have to be my parents.  They have been there for me my entire life and have instilled hard work, determination, and grit into me.

What are you most looking forward to in your senior year of Gymnastics & High School? This year I am most looking forward to competing my last season with my teammates and coaches.  I’m also looking forward to the thrill you feel after hitting an amazing routine.  School wise, I am really looking forward to prom because we weren’t able to have one last year.

What college will you be attending in the fall? Why did you choose this school? What are you most looking forward to about college & college Gymnastics? In the fall I will be attending Cornell University.  I chose Cornell because of their amazing academics and their coaches.  The coaches were always very nice to me and made me feel like Cornell was home even before I committed.  I am really looking forward to competing with their team.  Last year while watching them compete, their entire team was always engaged in one another and I am excited to join such a tight knit team.

What sets your team apart from the rest? One thing that would have to set my team apart from other teams is how close we are.  My entire team thrives off of each other and we love to see each other succeed.

What is your role on your Level 10 team & in your gym in general? Throughout my years at Bay Valley, we have always had great leaders in our gym.  As I’ve gotten older I am now looked up to as a leader in my gym.  As a team leader, I always cheer for everyone and am someone to talk to if anyone ever needs to talk about anything.

What is your most memorable gymnastics moment? My most memorable gymnastics moment was qualifying for Level 9 Easterns.  I remember I had a great meet and I sat in the chair waiting for the top 7 girls to be called.  When I heard my name called, I felt that all my hard work had finally paid off.

What is your goal for this season? My goal for this season is to compete how I train and not let any nerves get to me.  As a senior, I want to make my last year competing JO the best year.

How would you explain 2020 to your future children/grandchildren? I would explain 2020 to my future children as a year that made me appreciate everything in my life.  This year was filled with many ups and downs but as a whole I learned to cherish all the little things in life, because at a blink of an eye everything can be taken away.

What is the most valuable piece of advice you have received from your coaches? The most valuable advice a coach has given me would have to be from my coach, Miss Nanci.  She always tells me not to get too ahead of myself and stay in the moment.

Do you have a nickname? If so, is there a story behind it? I have a couple nicknames but my teammates call me either Vannah or V.

What really makes you laugh? I love to have fun so whenever someone makes a joke or does something funny I always laugh.

If you could a super power what would it be? Why? If I could have any superpower I would choose to read minds.  I think it would be fun to be able to know what other people are thinking.

What degree will you be pursuing in college?  In college, I plan on majoring in government and will then go on to law school.

Bonus Questions: Tell me something interesting about yourself……One interesting thing about myself is that when I was 12 years old my softball team won the Michigan State Little League Championship.  When we were there, the state hosted competitions for the fastest runner, longest hitter, etc. and I was the fastest 12u runner in the state for softball! 

Fun Fact: Savannah & her boyfriend were the 2020 Homecoming King & Queen at Garber High School in Essexville, Michigan

As December is coming to a close and the New Year is fast approaching we only have a few Tuesdays left in 2020 to feature some of our most talented Region 5 athletes. Our next 2Q feature athlete is a talented 15 year old, from Zanesville Gymnastics in Ohio, Adyson Wahl. Ady, as she is known to most people, has aspirations to one day compete at the collegiate level and continue her academics at a D1 University. Ady, who is entering her 4th season as a Level 10, has some pretty impressive skills all over the gym. One of my favorite skills I saw from Ady was performed at a Region 5 Training camp a few years ago, a back handspring Arabian on the Balance Beam, it is a bummer she has yet to perform this skill in competition. However, Ady has upgraded her Beam routine to include a triple flight Layout Layout series and a side somi. Ady is a power gymnast which absolutely shows on the Floor, where she not only throws a huge full-in, but one of my favorite tumbling passes a front thru to double back. In 2020 Adyson was on my list of “one’s to watch” from Ohio, with impressive skills and cleaned up execution, I definitely had her making her debut trip to Nationals in 2020….COVID had other plans. Hopefully, things can turn around in 2021 and all of these talented young athletes can get their shot at the 2021 National Championships in Dayton Beach Florida. So, let’s get to know Adyson Wahl a little better as she continues her training and readies herself to make a run at her first Region 5 Dream Team spot in 2021.

How did you get into Gymnastics? How old were you? Before I was born, my mom coached gymnastics and when she had me she would take me to practices with her.  I was always running around in the gym and climbing on whatever I could find.  When I was 2 years old my parents signed me up for mommy and me classes.  I was a very energetic child so gymnastics was the place for me!

What is your favorite event? Why? My favorite event is/has always been floor because I’m what you call a powerhouse gymnast.  I love floor because it is a way to express yourself when you are doing your floor routine.

Favorite Skill? Dream Skill? My favorite skill is my ray on bars because it feels like I’m flying every time I do it. It is one of my newer skills, so every time I catch the bar, I get butterflies in my stomach.  Dream skill would be a double layout on bars.

Favorite part of Gymnastics? Why? My favorite part of gymnastics is going to camps and meeting new people.  Camps are my favorite because when it is always such a positive atmosphere. I love making new friendships that last a lifetime.

Biggest Accomplishment in Gymnastics so far? My biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far is winning Level 10 all around at the Chicago Style meet in 2019.  I had a great time at that meet and it felt so good to win 1^st place at a large meet.

1^st thing you did when you were able to get back into the gym? I told my coaches and teammates how much I missed them.

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. Being out for about 3 ½ months made me realize how important gymnastics is to me.  Sometimes we don’t realize how much we love something until we can’t do it

anymore.  In quarantine, I really stayed up on my endurance and weight training and that really helped me out when I got back into the gym.  One of the struggles that I faced was not being able to reach my goal of qualifying for Nationals.  I was so crushed because I knew that I was so prepared for it.  It was different adjusting to covid but I made the best out of a bad situation.

Most embarrassing meet or training meet? The most embarrassing meet for me was Circle of the Stars 2020 meet.  I was just getting over being sick the week before and still very weak.  After my floor routine, I saluted and then ran straight off the floor to the restroom because I thought I was going to get sick.  I was so embarrassed. 

Something you have learned from Gymnastics that you will take with you? I’ve learned to never give up on the hard things, to dream big and never let anybody tell you that something is too hard to achieve. 

Who is your biggest role model? Why? My biggest role models are definitely my parents.  They’ve shown me so much support and I admire that so much.  My mom and dad are always helping others in times of need and I strive to be like that every day.  They have shown me what having a relationship with Jesus really looks like.  I am very thankful for my parents and I wouldn’t be the same without them.

What is something that sets your gym and/or your team part? My gym is located a small town, which makes us a strong family.  There is always someone in your corner cheering you on and my coaches take a real interest in every gymnast.  The truly want to see you succeed. 

What is your role on your Level 10 Team or you role in your gym in general? I am 1 of 3 level 10’s at my gym and I see us as being leaders.  We have many talented girls coming up and I’m excited to see where the future takes them.  Especially, my two little sisters- Chloe (level 6) and Macie (level 4). 

Most memorable Gymnastics moment. One of my most memorable gymnastics moments was training alongside of Gabby Douglas.  I trained at Buckeye for a few years, and during that time Gabby was training for the Olympics.  I’m grateful for my time at Buckeye, but the 1 ½ hour drive became too much for my family.

How would you explain the year 2020 to your future children/grandchildren?I would tell my future children/grandchildren that 2020 was the year I thought all my dreams would come true, but it was the year I appreciated everything I have.  Things can change in a moment, so be grateful for what you have.

What is the most valuable piece of advice or wisdom your coaches have given you? My Coach Mallory tells me not to be so hard on myself and to make each practice count.

How did you stay motivated during your COVID Quarantine time out of the gym? Something I did to stay motivated during quarantine time was watching a lot of college gymnastics on line.  It helped me stay focused on what I strive to achieve one day.

Do you have a nickname? If so what is it? What is the story behind it? My name is Adyson, but everyone calls me Ady.

What really makes you laugh? My little sister Macie is always doing something funny to make me laugh.  There is NEVER a dull moment with her. 

If you could have any super power what would it be? Why? I would want to be able to time travel because it would be pretty cool to go back or forward in time.

What is a question not on this list that should have been? Add your question we should of asked you and then answer it.

*What do you want to be when you grow up? Why? I want to become a physical therapist because I want to help people get better after they have had something happen to them. The physical therapist I have worked with have been very encouraging and I want to encourage others too.

Bonus Question: Tell us something interesting about yourself………..At my church I sing along side of my dad.  I love to sing and especially with him!