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.
Our next Level 9 Eastern National Champion is Senior 7 Jocelyn Warnica of Michigan Academy of Gymnastics presented by A-1 Awards.
How does it feel to the 2018 National Senior 7 All Around champion?
It feels amazing. I’ve worked so hard this past year to be the best gymnast I can be and to see that hard work pay off is awesome.
Tell us how your meet went today? Walk us through each moment of your day, warm ups, events, etc..
Region 5 started on the floor, and my warm-up went smoothly. My teammate from MAG, Aviva, started the competition, and I went second. This being my fifth year using my floor routine, I wanted my final performance to be my best, and it was. The eight routines from Region 5 had no falls; we hit all eight routines. Vault went well also. I competed a Yurchenko layout. The landing on my second vault was much better than the first. Next was bars. I really struggled in warm up. I didn’t get a full routine in, nor any shoot overs or dismounts. I was confident that I could do my routine since we regularly do cold routines in practice. I made my routine, and my coach was super happy. Beam was next. I had done really well on beam during this season and wanted to finish off the season strong, and that is what I did. My biggest wobble was on a pose right after my mount, and the routine improved from there. After I finished my routine, all I felt was complete and utter joy like I’d never felt before. I had no idea that I had won, I was just proud of how I had done, as a whole in the meet. At awards, when they called my name first for all around, I had zoned out a little and only heard my name. I looked for my spot, and then realized that no one was on the podium yet. It was then that I realized I had won. It was a complete surprise. I was stunned.
What do you normally do between events to stay focused and ready for the next event?
On bars and beam, I will cheer for but not watch the people who compete before me. I do this because when I competed at Level 8 Regionals, I was almost last on beam, and everyone fell before me. My coach didn’t let me watch the other gymnasts, and I did not know until after I had stuck my beam routine that all the others had fallen. Before my turn on beam, I do multiple choreography routines on the floor. Before bars, I try to keep myself from thinking too hard about the routine ahead of me.
Tell us about the atmosphere of the meet compared to regular season meets you have been too.
The energy at the meet was more than anything I had ever experienced before. The atmosphere at most regular season meets is serious and very focused. At Easterns, it seemed as though everyone was trying their hardest, but also having fun doing it. I loved it.
What is it like being part of Region 5 at Eastern Nationals? (be descriptive)
It is a privilege to represent Region 5 at Eastern Nationals. I was on the Level 8 Michigan State Team at Regionals, and I loved competing with team being a focus. Competing for Region 5 at Nationals was just like that, but ten times better. You make new friends that are automatically there for you and have your back no matter what. It was so fun to represent Region 5 with my MAG teammate Aviva. It enhanced the Nationals experience for me, knowing that there was a gymnast with me that I had competed with at almost every meet for eight years.
How has your experience been here at Nationals? What have you been doing besides competing?
My experience at Nationals was awesome. The night before I competed, the Senior 7s went out to dinner together. This was a lot of fun because we all got to spend some time together outside of the gym. I arrived in Rochester just in time to see my other teammate, Marissa, compete on Saturday afternoon. She did awesome placing second all-around. This helped inspire me for my competition the next day.
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When the meet is over what is or what was the first thing you did to celebrate your win?
On the way home from Rochester, I studied for my AP exam. I haven’t properly celebrated yet, but I’m planning on it in the near future.
Other than becoming National Champion, what was one highlight of the meet for you today?
One other highlight of my meet was cheering for my teammates. I loved the team aspect of the competition.
Anything crazy or funny happen during your meet today?
During march in, our team was a mess. First, we stopped in the wrong spot. Then, one of my teammates didn’t follow us as we kept walking. It was hilarious.
How does Region 5 compare to the other Regions out on the competition Floor? What sets Region 5 apart?
Compared to the other Regions, Region 5 had a lot more energy. We were cheering for one another really loud, and none of the other regions seemed to be doing that. We had a conversation at dinner the night before, and we said that we were going to be the loudest ones out on that floor. We even had louder parents and fans in the stands than any other region.
Who inspired you the most today? What did they say to you? How did you get amped up and motivated today?
There are a lot of people who inspired me throughout the weekend. Marissa’s Senior 2 2nd place All Around finish, the great attitude of my teammates, and my parents. My coaches stayed calm throughout the meet, which also helped me to do my best. These people didn’t have to say anything to me for me to know that I had their support and best wishes. After all of the hard work and dedication, I was very excited to go out there and show it off. I couldn’t have done it without the unending support of my parents and teammates. Also, without the dedication and endless persistence of my coaches, I would never have made it this far.
Jocelyn was also part of the Senior 7 National Championship Team, she also took 2nd place on the Uneven Bars.
The 2017-2018 Meet Season has come to an end. In May, the east half of the country gathered together for the Level 9 Eastern National Championship. Region 5 Insider was unable to attend the Level 9 Easterns, but we definitely felt like we were there with the amount of pictures, posts and text messages we received from those who were there. A BIG THANK YOU goes out to all the Region 5 coaches, parents & athletes who helped of cover this competition from a far. This year Region 5 had 7 AA champions, 6 team champions and numerous individual champions. We would like to highlight the young athletes who were named 2018 Level 9 Eastern National Champions. Please check out our printed interviews & photos of the AA Champions, we will be posting each one throughout the week.
Our first Level 9 Eastern National All-Around Champion is Junior 5 Ava Molina of CGA in Ohio presented by A-1 Awards.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! How does it feel to be the 2018 National Jr 5 Bars, Beam, & All Around Champion?
It makes me feel super excited. Winning a gold medal at Nationals has been a goal of mine all season. Even though I knew I believed in myself and in my training, I still can’t believe it happened!
Tell us how your meet went today? Walk us through each moment of your day, warm ups, events etc….
I thought my meet went really well! During general warm-up and stretch I think our team got really pumped up and ready to go. We started on floor, flight A which is a strong event for me. Floor warm-ups went great and I was confident and ready to go for my floor routine! The routine itself was very good; my first pass (a double back) had great amplitude! It was so high I even stumbled back a little bit, but I recovered and had a great finish to my routine. Next, we went to vault. Vault went really well for me. The two vaults I competed were great! After that, we went to bars. Bar warm-up was a little hectic because we all had different coaches with different bar settings, which takes time to adjust in between each gymnast. This was different for me because when I compete with my team from CGA, we all have similar bar settings. However, after warm-ups, we calmed down and had a great bar rotation! The bar routine I competed was a very good routine for me. My last event was beam. Beam is a good event for me to end on because it also is one of my stronger events! During warm-up on beam I stayed very calm and just did my normal. For my competition routine on beam, I felt very confident. I told myself to just be normal and I was. I had a great routine and was so excited when I finished
What do you normally do between events to stay focused and ready for the next event?
To stay focused between events, I usually go through my mental choreography for the next event. This not only helps me to stay focused, but it also helps me to calm down and prepare myself for the next event.
Tell us about the atmosphere of the meet compared to regular season meets you have been too.
The atmosphere at Eastern’s was definitely different then regular season meets I have competed in. I think everyone in Region 5 came in with a goal to be the winning region.
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What is it like being part of Region 5 at Eastern Nationals?
Being a part of Region 5 at Eastern Nationals is definitely very fun! I think Region 5 finds a way to make you focused during the meet while still being able to enjoy the experience. For example, before every event we picked a really funny cheer to say before we competed. Doing those cheers helped everyone to calm down and do their best and it also helped us to just laugh and have a good time!
How has your experience been here at Nationals? What have you been doing besides competing?
My experience at Eastern Nationals has been great because not only did I have a great meet, I ended up winning bars, beam, and all around. That made it a great experience because being able to win at least one gold medal at Eastern Nationals has been a goal of mine since the beginning of the competition season.
When the meet is over what is or what was the first thing you did to celebrate your win?
After Eastern Nationals, my family took advantage of being in that part of the country and went to Niagara Falls!
Other than becoming National Champion, what was one highlight of the meet for you today?
A highlight for me was being able to have a great last meet with my coach Whitney Snowden. She was my very first coach when I started gymnastics classes 7 years ago, so I’m going to miss her.
Anything crazy or funny happen during your meet today?
On my first bar warm up turn, the tensions weren’t tightened, so the bars were a lot more loose than normal. That warm up turn went fine, but it gave me a sense of urgency to make the rest of my warm ups count even more.
How does Region 5 compare to the other Regions out on the competition Floor? What sets Region 5 apart?
Region 5 looks great out on the competition floor. I think our team unity mindset really sets us apart from other regions.
Who inspired you the most today? What did they say to you? How did you get amped up and motivated today?
My family inspired me the most today. They told me to do my best before I walked onto the competition floor. To get amped up and motivated, I wrote down some of my goals in a journal right before the meet
Ava Molina was also part of the Junior 5 National Champion Team as well as picking up National Titles on the Bars and Balance Beam.
On this episode we breakdown the 2018 Level 9 Eastern and JO National Championships. How Region 5 did and some behind the scenes action that you might now have seen. There was a history matching performance of dominance at this years JO Nationals for one of our region 5 athletes and one athlete will have their name in the code of points. We talk about all that, the 2018 Region 5 All Star Team is announced and more.
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Thank you to all our current Patreon contributors for your continued support
10:50 – Infinity Gymnastics closes between Regionals and Easterns but Maddie Rydel still trained and competed thanks to her amazing coaches and parents!
15:02 – 2018 JO National Championships Recap – Exciting, Emotionally and physically draining
15:22 – Coaching a Senior at JO’s – Anna Kaziska – SR E
Wrong Music, 1st up on Floor at Nationals and Floor
17:30 – Region V Success – winning 5 age groups. 4 National All-Around Champions. Region V places 3rd?
18:10 – JR A Recap – Taylor’s Toughness – Broken Nose
Sydney Jelen – Legacy Elite Gymnastics LLC
Katie Harper – Universal Gymnasts Inc.
Kendall Abney – Twistars USA Inc.
Elizabeth Gantner – Jaycie Phelps Athletic Center
Taylor DeVries – Legacy Elite Gymnastics LLC
Kaia Tanskanen – Michigan Elite Gymnastics Academy
Rhyley Pitts – World Class Gymnastics Center
23:08SR A Recap
Brooke Conley – Gym Nasti hurts ankle in training and warm-ups up floor and pulls out right before march out Alyssa Parlich alternate gets put in last minute!
