This R5 Insider Spotlight features 2018 JO Nationals Bars Champion Sydney Jelen of Legacy Elite. Sydney will be competing in the HOPES Championships this coming Friday for the 2nd time in her young career. Sydney competed in her first Hopes Championships back in 2016 after competing as a level 9. She has qualified to the last two JO National Championships and since competing HOPES and is must more confident out there now. She is looking to add few skills into her routines and had has her eye set on a specific goal this time around. Find out more about Sydney as she prepares for this weekends competition.
Our next 20 questions athlete was literally born with gymnastics in her blood. Savannah Miller of Oakland Gymnastics in Michigan comes from a gymnastics family with both mom and dad being former gymnasts, both competing at the college level. Savannah tumbled into the gym even before she could walk. Savannah and her sister MacKenzie, who is a gymnast at the University of Alaska-Anchorage, both trained their entire gymnastics careers at their parents gym in Commerce Twp, Michigan together. Savannah, who first went down the Elite path, qualified to the 2014 Hopes Championships as well as to 2 JO National Championships as a level 10. Savannah has grown up as a talented young gymnast right in front of our eyes here in Michigan, she is lovely to watch on the uneven bars and shows true maturity on the floor exercise. Savannah will be entering into her freshman year of high school this year, so we will have a few more years with this talented young athlete who I am sure will be a major player in Region 5 for the next few years. Lets get to know Vannah a little bit better as she looks towards the upcoming season and making a run at a 3rd straight JO Nationals.
How did you get into gymnastics? How old were you? I got involved ingymnastics through my parents, who were club and college gymnasts themselves, and who were both coaching when I was young. I was three years old when I started the sport.
What is your favorite event? My favorite event is bars.
Favorite Skill to train/compete? My favorite skill to train is a Ray on bars.
Dream Skill? My dream skill is a Maloney 1/2.
What is your favorite part of gymnastics? My favorite part of gymnastics is accomplishing a skill after training it constantly.
What college do you plan on attending? I am currently undecided on what college I will be attending.
What is your favorite meet to compete at? Why? My favorite meet to compete at is JO Nationals, because the entire Region 5 experience is incredible! I love hanging with my Region 5 teammates! I love the energy at the competition! I love having the opportunity to represent the BEST region in the country! R5 Pride!
Biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far? My biggest accomplishment in gymnastics, so far, is qualifyingto the Secret Classic in 2014, in the Hopes division.
Who do you most admire in the sport of gymnastics? I admire Peng Peng Lee.
What is your go to playlist or song before meets? My favorite song to listen to before competitions is No Tears Left to Cry by Ariana Grande.
3 Things you could not live without? Three things I couldn’t live without are my family, gymnastics and my dogs!
If you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why? I would be a dog, because they are friendly and
5 Most Important or Must have Items in your gym bag? The five must haves that I keep in my gym bag are tape, extra hair ties, band-aids, tiger balm, and chapstick.
Do you have any pre-meet rituals or superstitions? I have to listen to music before every meet.
What do you like to do outside of Gymnastics? In my free time, I like to paint and draw.
Most embarrassing meet moment or gymnastics moment? My most embarrassing moment was when I started crying before my beam routine, at a big invitational, when I was a Level 3, because I was very nervous. My coach had to talk to the judges and ask if I could have a minute to get it together. After a few words of encouragement and a big hug, I was ready to go.
If you weren’t a gymnast, what sport would you do or try? If I wasn’t a gymnasts, the sport I would try would be
Which athletes (any sport) do you respect the most and why? I respect Maggie Nichols because she is full of talent and more importantly, integrity!
What is the most valuable piece of advice or wisdom your coach has given you? One of the most valuable pieces of advice my coach has given me is to not overthink anything you do.
Bonus Question: Tell me something interesting about yourself…. Something interesting about myself is that I love art!
R5 Insider Spotlight: Elizabeth Gantner, Junior International Elite from JPAC. JPAC has their first international elite gymnast and Elizabeth is currently competing in her first elite season. Her coaches Dave and Jaycie talk about her training and their plan for this new journey. Liz, two time JO National Qualifier, has dreamed, believes she can and now is working hard to achieve her goals at the elite level.
Region 5 is making their move into 2019. Check out some of the new skills being done from our gymnasts around the Region. If you want your upgrades to be included in future Making Your Move posts upload your video to your Instagram page (must be public or put up on gym IG) and tag us @region5gyminsider. #R5MakingMovesMonday
JerQuavia Henderson “Q” (GymCorner) Maloney on bars
Our next 20 Questions athlete is a 3x JO National Qualifier who hails from BIG in Illinois. Kaitlyn, who is a 3rd year Level 10, has definitely been one of my favorites to watch for some time now. I first noticed Kaitlyn at the Hunt’s Born to Fly Meet a couple years ago and she simply captivated my attention, there was just something special about this young talent that I knew she would be one to watch for a the next fews years. She certainly did not disappoint having qualified to 3 JO National Championships. Kaitlyn, who suffered a pretty serious elbow injury last year, was on fire this year! It was definitely good to have her back to full strength on the competition floor. Kaitlyn, who was part of the Junior E Team that took the National Team Title in 2018, really does not have a weak event. Kaitlyn is an all around gymnast and shows great difficulty all over the gym, she also has fantastic floor music, so with that being said lets get to know this talented athlete as she finishes up her summer training and looks forward to her 4th year of level 10 and her 4th chance at another JO Nationals Team.
How did you get into Gymnastics? How old were you? I started gymnastics when I was 2 years old in mom and tot classes. Growing up I tried every sport you could think of like dance, soccer, softball, volleyball, but I couldn’t stick with just one. Gymnastics was my favorite.
What is your favorite event? My favorite event is bars especially the feeling when you learn a new skill.
What is your favorite skill to train/compete? My favorite skill to train is a full in because it takes a lot of determination and work to learn it and do it well. My favorite skill to compete is a tkatchev because I love the feeling of flying in the air.
What is your dream skill? My dream skill is a yurchenko double on vault.
What is your favorite part of gymnastics? My favorite part of gymnastics is meeting friends from all over the region at meets, camps, and Nationals.
How you decided what college you would like to attend?I have not decided on which college I want to attend yet.
What is your favorite meet to compete at? My favorite meet to compete at is either my home meet, The BIG Classic or Nationals. At BIG because everyone in the crowd and on the floor is cheering for you on every event. I also love going to Nationals because the experience is always unforgettable with the new people you are with.
What is your biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far? Biggest accomplishment is making J.O. Nationals 3 years in a row (1 year as an alternate)
Who do you admire the most in the sport of gymnastics? The people I admire the most in gymnastics are past teammates who have gone onto college and competed. They work so hard and have done so well which makes me want to do the exact same.
What is your favorite Region 5 Feature or Series? My favorite Region 5 Insider feature is the Eye on 5’s
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What is your go to song or playlist before meets? My go to songs beforemeets are motivational and upbeat songs to get me pumped for competition.
What are 3 things you could not live without? 3 Things that I could not live without include my family, friends, and my dog.
If you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why? If I could be an animal I would choose to be a koala because they swing through trees and sleep almost the entire day.
What are the 5 most important things you must have in your gym bag? 5 most important things I have to have in my meet bag include my grips, tiger paws, headphones, tape, and lucky toy from level 4.
Do you have any superstitions or rituals that you do prior to competition? I don’t have any superstitions but I wear my hair the same way for every competition.
What do you like to do outside of Gymnastics? Outside of gymnastics I like to hang out with friends and family, go water skiing, and binge watch Grey’s Anatomy haha.
What is your most embarrassing gymnastics or meet moment? Most embarrassing gymnastics moment is when my tattoo for High Tech camp was upside-down.
If you weren’t a Gymnast, what sport would you do or try? If I weren’t a gymnast I would probably do diving.
What athletes (any sport) do you respect the most and why? The athlete I respect the most would be Aly Raisman because of how hard she’s worked in and out of the gym and always uses her voice to help others.
What is the most valuable piece of advise or wisdom your coach has given you? The most valuable piece of advice my coach has given me is “To be a role model not only in the gym but in life, whether you win or lose.”
Bonus Question……Tell me something interesting about yourself……I have been at BIG my entire gymnastics career.
