We mic’d Champion Gymnastics (KY) Head Coach Jason Buttons during the SrB Floor rotation at the 2017 JO Nationals with his athlete Anna Kaziska. Listen in as Jason makes small corrections and adjustments to the routine that finished tied for 2nd place with a 9.70.
2017 Yahtzee Award Nominees (Part 1)
In honor of the Region 5 Banquet being held in conduction with Region 5 Congress next month, we here at Region 5 Insider have compiled a set of fun, different and special awards to honor the hard work of our Region 5 athletes. Every year, athletes from around the region are honored at the Region 5 banquet for various reasons, so we decided to start our own annual awards to honor some great Region 5 Athletes, Coaches & Moments. So, I am proud to announce voting for the 2nd Annual Yahtzee Awards is now OPEN!!!
For the next 3 weeks you will have the opportunity to view the nominees and vote for your favorites. The winners will be informed, announced and posted the week of the Region 5 Banquet.
Check out our first 5 categories and place your votes for your favorite Region 5 Athletes & Moments!
Most Unique Vault
Best Bar Combo
Huge Air (Bars)
Most Interesting Beam Mount
**Helen Hu footage courtesy of USA Gymnastics
Most Unique Beam Series
Ciara Ryan, HUGs
**Ciara Ryan footage courtesy of Ciara Ryan
Remember to get all your teammates, friends and family to vote in our 2nd Annual Region 5 Yahtzee Awards.
Stay Tuned for the next series of nominees!
20 Questions with JO National Qualifier Anna Kaziska (Champion-KY)
Champion’s (KY) Anna Kaziska is a mainstay on the Region 5 Dream Team, having qualified to JO Nationals the past 3 years (’15,’16,’17) even taking the top spot in the All-Around at the 2017 Region 5 Championships. Anna, who is verbally committed to SEMO, add grace and beauty to everything she does on the 
competition floor. Anna is a joy to watch, especially on the uneven bars, with her high flying release move, elegant toe point and her award winning smile she certainly continues to be one to watch each and every year. As summer is coming to a close Anna is preparing for her senior year of high school and her last year of JO Club Gymnastics. Lets get to know Anna a little better as she closes out an excellent JO career and looks to join the SEMO Gymnastics Team next fall.
How did you get into gymnastics? How old were you? I was always very active as a child, so when I was 2 years old my parents put me in a mother/daughter gymnastics class. I have loved gymnastics ever since!
What is your favorite event? My favorite event is beam.
Favorite Skill to train/compete My favorite skill to compete is a Rudi Layout Stepout on floor.
Dream Skill? Shaposh Half on bars
What is your favorite part of gymnastics? My favorite part of gymnastics is that it teaches us respect, discipline, hard work, as well as time management.
What college do you plan on attending? I plan on attending Southeast Missouri State University.
What is your favorite meet to compete at? My favorite meet to compete at is JO Nationals because Region 5 has such a good team aspect, and the atmosphere during competition is so much fun.
Biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far? Receiving a full ride scholarship to SEMO.
Who do you most admire in the sport of gymnastics? I admire anyone who always tries their best no matter what the circumstance is and does it for themselves because they love it!
What is your favorite Region 5 Insider Feature or Series? Either Coaches Wired or Eye on 5.
What is your go to playlist or song before meets? I listen to the song Believer by Imagine Dragons before meets
If you were trapped on a deserted island what 3 things would you take and why? First, I would bring my phone with unlimited data so I can use a GPS, as long as I have service. I would also bring a lifetime supply of bananas because it’s my favorite fruit and blankets to keep me comfortable
If you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why? I would be a 
dog because I could relax at home and provide company to anyone
Who is your favorite superhero? Wonder Woman
Do you have any pre-meet rituals or superstitions? I have to eat blueberry cliff bars before a meet
What do you like to do outside of Gymnastics? I like to hang out with my friends and binge watch Netflix shows
Most embarrassing meet moment or gymnastics moment? When I was 10 my coach wanted me to show my backhandspring layout on beam to the lower levels and when I showed I slid down the beam in front of everyone
If you weren’t a gymnast, what sport would you do or try? Swimming
Which athletes (any sport) do you respect the most and why? Ice Hockey players because it requires a lot of skill and concentration and it is super scary to play on ice
What is the most valuable piece of advice or wisdom your coach has given you? Not every practice is a good one so the best thing is to move on from it, don’t think about it because you can’t change it, but use it as motivation for the 
next practice.
Tell me something interesting about yourself…. I have lived in 5 states and I was born in Las Vegas:)
Anna’s JO Nationals Gallery
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It’s Yahtzee Awards Time….
It is almost that time of year again!….for the 2nd Annual Region 5 Insider Yahtzee Awards!!!
Starting this Wednesday (August 23) voting will begin for the 2017 Yahtzee Awards. For the next 3 Wednesdays you will be able to view & vote for your favorite Region 5 Athletes & Moments across 16 different categories.
The winners will be announced the week of Region 5 Congress as part of our Congress Coverage.
Yahtzee Award Categories include:
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Unique Vault
Best Bar Combo
Huge Air (Bars)
Most Unique Beam Mount
Best Beam Series
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Best Floor Choreography
Best Music
Best Performance
Most Entertaining
Best Form
Most Powerful
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Team Spirit
Memorable Meet Moment
Coaching Moment
Best Pre-Routine Handshake
Best Stick
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2017 Region 5 Training Camps (Gallery)
Region 5 Training Camp Season has begun!!
August 3-6 was the first weekend for the Region 5 Training Camps to be held. Queen City Gymnastics in Cincinnati, Ohio hosted Super Camp & Forward Progress. The Region 5 Training Camps go from August-October ending with High Performance & High Tech Camp to be hosted at the University of Michigan.
Thank you to all the Lori Koch, the Region 5 Staff & all of the host facilities for putting together a great training & learning experience for our coaches & athletes.
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