2017 Level 9 Eastern National Champion Anna Winger (Perfection)

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May 27, 2017

Our next 2017 Level 9 Eastern National Champion hails from Perfection School of Gymnastics in Ohio. Anna Winger brought a second Eastern National All-Around title home to Perfection (her teammate won the junior 6 AA title), along with the Junior 8 Uneven Bars & Floor Title, lets get to know Anna and how the day went for her in Diamondale.

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CONGRATULATIONS!!!! How does it feel to be the 2017 National JR. 8 Bars, Floor, and All Around Champion? It feels great! I’ve worked so hard this season, and I’m so glad it all paid off.

Tell us how your meet went today? Walk us through each moment of your day, warm ups, events etc…. My meet went really good. I was a little nervous during warmups. It’s been a long season and I was just thinking about how I wanted to finish out my last competition strong. Floor started out pretty good. All of my warm up passes were great and I had a lot of confidence during my routine. On practice day I had a little trouble with vault, but my warm up turns were good. On my first vault, I landed a little short and took a few steps forward. I knew my second vault had to be good, so I made sure to be ready for the landing. The second vault was much better. We moved onto bars and I was feeling more relaxed. My warm up went great and I had no trouble with any of my skills. I was second up, which was good because I didn’t have to wait to long to go. When I landed my dismount, I felt a lot of relief. I had to wait a while before we rotated to beam, so I tried to stay warm while everyone else competed. I was last on beam, which meant I had a lot of time to think about everything before I competed. When I was next up, I went to a mat on the other side of the beam and did a few backhandsprings to get warmed up again. During my routine, I knew all I needed to do was stay on with minimum wobbles. When I landed my dismount, I heard a lot of cheers from the crowd and the rest of the team. I was so excited that I finished out my season strong.

What do you normally do between events to stay focused and ready for the next event? To stay focused between events, I usually try to mentally prepare myself by going through my routines a few times. After that, I try to stay calm and have fun with the rest of my teammates.

Tell us about the atmosphere of the meet compared to regular season meets you have been too.

The atmosphere was definitely a lot more exciting. I think the idea of it being the biggest and last meet of the season, gave everyone a little extra energy. The team was really supportive of each other and all of the girls and coaches interacted really well.

What is it like being part of Region 5 at Eastern Nationals? (be descriptive)

Being part of Region 5 is so much fun. We were definitely the loudest team and had the most supporters in the crowd. This gave the team so much more energy. Before each event we did a cheer and it kind of helped loosen everyone up a little.

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How has your experience been here at Nationals? What have you been doing besides competing?

Nationals is a really fun way to finish out the season. Besides competing, I went to the banquet after practice on Thursday. We had dinner and went on the tour of the stadium.

When the meet is over what is or what was the first thing you did to celebrate your win?

Other than awards, I didn’t celebrate much immediately because a teammate from my gym was competing right after me, so I watched her. After she finished I went to eat with some friends before heading home.

Other than becoming National Champion, what was one highlight of the meet for you today?

The big highlight of my meet was definitely my bar routine. Bars is my favorite event and I’ve worked so hard this season to be able to make a good routine under pressure. That score was my highest this season and I was so excited that I was able to keep my momentum from the other events and bring it to bars.

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Anything crazy or funny happen during your meet today?

The coaches put together a cup of cheers. Before every event all of the girls and coaches did a cheer to help relax us and get us pumped up for the event we were on.

How does Region 5 compare to the other Regions out on the competition Floor? What sets Region 5 apart?

Region 5 stands out because of everyone’s team spirit. All of the region 5 teams are the loudest on the floor, and everyone interacts with each other so well. There’s always lots of cheering and enthusiasm from the all of the coaches and girls on the team.

Who inspired you the most today? What did they say to you? How did you get amped up and motivated today?

My teammate inspired me the most. The night before I competed, I watched my teammate, Katya, win the JR. 6 All Around title. I had doubts in my head if I was going to be able to do it, but seeing her win, really motivated me to do it as well.

Check out her 9.775 Eastern Bars Championship routine

Congratulations to Anna, her parents and the perfection staff on a great win at the Level 9 Eastern National Championships.

Sights and Sounds: Region 5 Gymnastics | 2017 JO Nationals

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Jason MacDonald

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May 26, 2017

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Behind the scenes look at JO Nationals with Region 5. From big dismounts with stuck landings to the cheers and camaraderie of the Region 5 way , here are some of the Sights and Sounds from the 2017 R5 Dream Team at JO Nationals. Spoiler alert: watch out for the cutest future dream teamer you have ever seen!!!

2017 Level 9 Easter National Champion Q&A: Shannon Chase (Emeth)

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Kim Dowis

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May 25, 2017

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Shannon Chase of Emeth Gymnastics is our next 2017 Level 9 Eastern All-Around National Champion. Shannon, who also won Floor & Vault, shared the Junior 4 All-Around Title. Let’s learn a little bit about Shannon’s Eastern Nationals experience and what she did to celebrate her gold medal performances.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! How does it feel to be the 2017 National co-All Around Junior 4 Champion? It was shocking, my goal for the meet was to have fun and do my best! When they called first place and said my all around score I was so surprised!

Tell us how your meet went today? Walk us through each moment of your day, warm ups, events etc….We started on bars and Region 5 all hit, I had my best bar routine of the season and also scored higher than I had all season! When we went to beam Region 5 had a few stumbles but I was able to stay focused and I got up and hit my beam routine. Then we went to floor, during warm ups they announced the top 5 girls, I was in second it pumped me up for floor. I got a 9.5 on floor and that was my highest floor score of the season. Moving onto vault I knew I was going to be first up to compete, I was happy about that. I had a great warm up and felt super confident getting ready to compete. I stuck my first vault and I was ecstatic, I gave my coach the biggest smile ever! After my second vault and I saw that I got a 9.7 I was so proud of myself but all I could do then was wait. I knew I had a big enough score to have a chance at a vault title but I didn’t know where I’d be on the other events. I ended up being the vault and floor champion. After they announced floor awards I thought to myself “man I might have a shot at this.” Everyone said I looked so shocked when they announced the all Around champions.

What do you normally do between events to stay focused and ready for the next event? I do mind routines in my head, and I try to do drills that will help me stay focused.

Tell us about the atmosphere of the meet compared to regular season meets you have been too. There was a lot more cheering! I’m the onLy level 9 at my gym so usually I’m alone at meets, so it was really cool to be apart of a team!

What is it like being part of Region 5 at Eastern Nationals? (be descriptive) It felt like one big family, everyone worked together very well and we all had each others backs.

When the meet was finished, what was the first thing you did to celebrate your win? We took lots of pictures, I got a sweatshirt with “National Champion” on the back of it, and we went out to Olive Garden for dinner!

Other than becoming National Champion, what was one highlight of the meet for you today? The atmosphere of competing with Region 5

Anything crazy or funny happen during your meet today? This isn’t really crazy or funny but Sticking my first vault was pretty amazing!

How does Region 5 compare to the other Regions out on the competition Floor? What sets Region 5 apart? We cheer the loudest and are so supportive of one another!

Who inspired you the most today? What did they say to you? How did you get amped up and motivated today? Brett from Twistars was really funny, and he did a cheer before each event with us! He kept the meet fun and the team pumped up!

Congratulations to Shannon, her family, her coaches and the rest of the staff at Emeth Gymnastics!

Check out Shannon’s 9.7 Eastern National Champion title vault

Stay Tuned for our next Level 9 Eastern National All-Around Champion!

TrainingTuesday: Front Tumbling Drills with Kim Tanskanen | How to Improve Front Tumbling

By

Jason MacDonald

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May 23, 2017

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Kim Tanskanen from Michigan Elite shows some front tumbling drills she had the kids do at the 2016 Hot Shot camp at Naperville Gymnastics. She goes over some of the fine points to the drills and how to help you improve your front layouts.

2017 Level 9 Eastern National Champion Q&A: Izzabel Geig (Gymnastics World)

By

Kim Dowis

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May 23, 2017

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The next 2017 Level 9 Eastern National All-Around Champion hailing from Region 5 is Izzabel Geig of Gymnastics World in Ohio. Izzabel had a stellar competition in Diamondale not only winning the Senior 2 AA title, but she also swung to the National Title on the Uneven Bars and tumbled her way to the National Floor Exercise Title as well. Let’s get to know Izzabel a little better and find out what some her favorite meet moments were and her inspired her the most on her big day in Michigan.

Congratulations on being the Level 9 Eastern All-Around Champion. How does it feel to have come out on top? It feels amazing being the Eastern National AA, Bars and Floor Champion and I feel like anything is possible. It is such a fun experience.

Tell us how your meet went today? I got a lot if rest the night before and the morning of the competition. Once I got to the meet, I watched a few girls compete during the session before mine. Once warmups started, I met my Region 5 team mates and everybody learned names. Our first event was floor. I was the first one to compete, so I warmed up,first. I warmed up all my tumbling passes in a few turns, and then did dance parts. Once I was done warming up I got a drink and got into my focus zone. I went through keywords and watched my routine in my head. I was then ready to compete. I got up and did my routine like I know how to do. I tried not to overthink too much and remember my keywords. We then went to vault. Warmups were a little off, but once I competed, I was back to my normal vault. I just pretend to vault like i’m just at practice to keep myself from getting nervous. After that, we rotated to bars. Bats is my favorite event, so I wasn’t nervous at all. Warmups were pretty normal. Once again I pictured my best routine in my head. My competition routine was one of my best routines. My teammates supported me all the way and helped me focus. Finally we went to beam. My warm ups were solid, and I was 100% confident that one as going to do well. I competed 2nd and performed my best routine of the season. My coaches were really proud of me. After I was done competing I knew that I had a good meet. I was proud of myself.

What do you normally do between events to stay focused and ready for the next event? Between events I like to talk to teammates to help me relax and not get too nervous. I like to tell myself that I can do it and that this is my chance to shine
and show what I have been working so hard for.

Tell us about the atmosphere of the meet compared to,regular season meets you have been to. The atmosphere of the meet was amazing. It was very loud and fun. There are so many people that you have only met that day that support you and cheer you in. The march-in and the announcing also made the meet feel motivating and exciting.

What is it like being part of Region 5 at Eastern Nationals? Being a part of Region 5 at Eastern Nationals was an experience I will never forget. Everyone was happy and super supportive. Region 5 had all of the tattoos and ribbons and light up glasses that no one else had. I wouldn’t want to be a part of any other region.

How has your experience been here at Nationals? What have you been doing besides competing? My experience was so much fun. I would do it everyday if I could. I love traveling for competitions and staying in hotels and just traveling in general. It makes me even more excited because I get to visit cool places.

When the meet is over what is or what was the first thing you did to celebrate your win? The first thing I did to celebrate my own was go out to dinner with my mom. We always go find a nice place to eat with good food and just relax and celebrate.

Other than becoming National Champion, what was one highlight of the meet for you today? The one highlight of the meet was making new friends and being part of the Region 5 Dream Team. I met so many great people and had a lot of fun.

Any crazy or funny happen during your meet today? The announcer kept pronouncing my last name wrong and my teammates and I found it funny. Also, part of the USAG symbol on my leotard was falling off. The leg of the person was coming off and I said, ” break a leg!” Me and my coach were laughing.

How does Region 5 compare to the other Regions out on the competition floor? What sets region 5 apart? Region 5 seemed to be more pumped and loud. We had a different cheer that was funny for each event that no other regions did. Also, Region 5 had the blinking glasses and pom-poms, hair ribbons, and tattoos. I noticed that no other Region had as much cool gear as we did.

Who inspired you the most today? What did they say to you? How did you get amped up and motivated today? My mom inspired me. She always cheers me up and we play music in the car to get amped up for the meet. My mom told me that she was proud of me no matter what and she helped me relax and get excited.

Check out Izzabel’s 9.575 Eastern Championship Bar Routine

Congratulations to Izzabel on her success and hard work. Also, congratulations to the coaches and staff of Gymnastics World, as well as Izzabel’s family.

Stay Tuned for more Level 9 Eastern National Champions……