Rachel Dickson won the Senior F Region 5 beam title with this 9.725 routine.
2016 Top 10 Favorite Region 5 Leotards (Part 2)
This is what we have all been waiting for number 5-1 of the Top 10 Favorite Region 5 Leotard List!!!
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5. Gym World (*1st Yr)
Gym World’s Leotards are different and I love that! I love the mixture of the bold colors and the jewels covering the entire front. This leo reminds me of a warrior because of all the jewels on the front body it looks like a shield something a Roman would wear. The Gym name is also on the back in jewels which I love too!
4. AGA (*1st Yr)
What I love the most about AGA’s Leotard is that it is completely original! There is no other leotard in Region 5 like it. This is a great leo for every body type and every age, the lace back and sleeves makes it look so elegant and refined. I love the royal blue color and the corset strapless top look. Being a gymnast of the 90s I extremely love the key hole back! This leotard is certainly something special and a great design, it also looks extremely comfortable.
3. Bay Valley Academy (*1st Yr)
BVA has some pretty unique colors, colors that you do not really see together very often and I believe they are the only gym in Region 5 to mix these three colors together in this way. What I love most about this leo is that it is completely different. The use of the lime green as the main color of the leo is not something I would have thought of myself, only using the black in a small way as more of an accent color really makes this leo stand out on the competition floor. This leo matches BVA exactly, the gymnasts are unique and have exquisitely unique routines and style all of their very own, so I would no expect their leos to be anything less than eye-catching, just like their personalities and floor routines.
2. Gym X-treme (*2nd Yr)
Gym X-Treme’s Leo is one of my ultimate favorites because it is different, I love how the yellow and white stand out on the black and purple leo. The boldness of this leo is what makes Gym X-Treme stand out, this leo also reminds me of New Orleans and Mardi Gras, it is just so fun. It also is another one of those leos that no one else has, purple has been a really popular color this season, but this purple really pops when you incorporate the white and yellow.
1. UGA (*3rd Yr)
As soon as I saw UGA’s leo I instantly knew that I loved it and that it would be my number 1 choice. I have always been a fan of blue and white together, maybe because those were my high school colors, I love the jewels and the details on every part of the leo. This leo is extremely elegant and reminds me of a beautiful dress that could be worn to a high society function or a white house dinner. It also looks really good on every person on the team, from the oldest to the youngest this leo is tasteful and mature, but still playful and fun.
Thank you to everyone in Region 5 for allowing to take photos of our leos to construct this list and I can’t wait to see what great leos at next years Region 5 Championships
****To be eligible for the Top 10 Leos list, your gym MUST have a Level 10 competing in one of the Level 10 Sessions at Region 5 Championships.****
First Battle in Fort Worth, R5 Alums look to claim an NCAA Championship
This weekend the 2016 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics season comes to a close with the NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas (site of the upcoming Level 10 JO Nationals). The competition will begin Friday with 2 semi final rounds of 6 teams plus individuals in each. The top 3 teams in each session will move on to the Super Six on Saturday for a chance to claim this years National Championship. Here are the 12 teams competing in this years championships
Of the 12 teams competing, 6 have Region 5 alums on their roster. Along with these athletes, 5 other R5 alums are representing their respective schools as individuals. Lets take a look at our former Region 5 gymnasts taking part in the championships.
Top seed Oklahoma competes in the 2nd semi final session on Friday. The Sooners are lead by seniors Haley Scaman (IGI) and Keeley Kmieciak (Phenom). Haley competes on three events for OU and finished the regular season ranked 5th in the country on floor (big double layout). Keeley competes in the all around for the Sooners and posted a perfect 10 on bars at the BIG 12 championships.
Alabama comes into the championships as the 3rd seed and will compete in the evening semi final. Amanda Jetter former elite from Cincinnati Gymnastics is a solid 9.9+ in several events. Amanda is a regular in the Crimson Tide bar line-up with a career best of 9.925 on the event.
The defending National Champions, Florida, come in as the 6th seed and will compete in the early semi final. The Gators feature the nations top all arounder, senior Bridget Sloan (Sharps). Bridget has played a big role on her Gator team for the last 4 years and is looking to cap off her career with a 4th consecutive national championship. Fellow senior Bridgette Caquatto (Legacy Elite), will be looking to finish off her career on a high note as she will compete in vault, bars and floor for the Gators.
Nebraska is the 7th seed competing in the evening semi final session and features 3 alums most of any team in the competition. Junior Jennie Laeng (Olympic Dreams) and sophomore Grace Williams (Twistars) compete in the all around for the Cornhuskers posting mid 39’s at regionals. In her freshman year, Megan Schweihofer (Hunts) is a regular in the vault and beam lineups with both of her scores counting at the Regional Championships.
Auburn comes in as the 8th seed and will compete in the first semi final session. Senior Kait Kluz (Oakland) has been a rock for the Tigers in her four years and competes in vault, bars and floor. Kait was a big contributor to the Tigers win at regionals posting a 9.9 on floor and 9.85 on bars.
UCLA enters the championships as the 10th seed and features powerhouse vaulter and tumbler Madison Preston (Cincinnati). Madison tied for the top vault score of 9.9 at regionals. UCLA will compete in the evening semi final session.
The 11th seed Minnesota competing in the first semi final session features two alums that share the same name and club gym. Junior Rachel Haines and Freshman Rachel Cutler were club teammates at Twistars and are now contributing to the success of the Gophers. Haines is a consistent member of the vault and beam line-up posting 9.8 on both at regionals. Cutler is the lead off on uneven bars posting a 9.8 at the Big Ten Championships.
In addition to the above alums, 5 others qualified to the championships as individuals. These athletes will compete along side one of the 12 qualifying teams vying for a national all around or event national title.
The University of Michigan narrowly missed out on another NCAA appearance counting a fall on beam at regionals. However two Wolverines qualified to NCAA’s in the all around. Junior co captain Nicole Artz (Champion USA) and Sophomore Brianna Brown (Cincinnati) will experience a nationals without their team for the first time. These two athletes helped lead Michigan to the Big Ten Championship this season. Nicole will compete in the first semi final rotating with LSU. Brianna will take the floor in the 2nd semi final rotating with UCLA (and fellow Cincinnati teammate Madison Preston)
Arkansas ended their season short of the goal as well but will send Junior Amanda Wellick (Legacy Elite) to nationals in the all around for the 2nd time in her 3 years as a GymBack. Amanda is one of the leaders of the Arkansas squad and is a well rounded gymnast on all four events. She will compete in the 2nd semi final rotating with Utah.
Denver senior Nina McGee (GymNation, Cincinnati) has been the talk of the NCAA this season with her 3 perfect 10’s on floor and ranking amongst the top in the all around all season. Nina makes her second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships in the all around and looks to close out her gymnastics career the same way she performs on floor…. with Perfection!
video from Denver Gymnastics
Lindsey Offutt (Oakland), senior at the University of Pittsburgh, qualified to compete in the floor exercise. Lindsey got to compete at regionals in front a hometown crowd in Ann Arbor and used that energy to post a 9.9 and tie for the win on floor. Lindsey who has set records at Pitt in the all around, looks to end her career on the NCAA’s biggest stage.
video from Pittsburgh Gymnastics
Good luck to all our alums competing in this years NCAA Championships and enjoy this final competition of 2016 or for some the last of your careers!
2016 Top 10 Favorite Region 5 Leotards (Part 1)
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The absolute best part of Region 5 Championships, other than watching some awesome gymnastics and seeing what kind of great new swag the Dream Team gets, is looking at all the leotards and constructing the Top 10 Favorite Region 5 Leotards List! This year was probably the hardest year so far to decide who would make the list. There were so many teams that had great Leotards! I also really loved everyones 
enthusiasm and excitement about the list. When I came to take pictures the girls and coaches were so excited and full of joy it was so awesome to see. I love that people WANT to make the list and get so excited at the prospect of being considered.
****To be eligible for the Top 10 Leos list, your gym MUST have a Level 10 competing in one of the Level 10 Sessions at Region 5 Championships.****
So without further ado, I present to you My Top 10 Favorite Region 5 Leotards Part 1 (10-6).
(*#indicates yrs on list)
10. JPAC (*2Yr) & CGA (*3Yr)
What I love about the JPAC and CGA leos are the simplicity and the bold colors. These two gyms always have great leos and this year was no exception. I also love the jewel detailing on both.
9. Olympic Dreams (*2Yr)
Olympic Dreams has such a bold stand out leo, this Ozone leo attracts attention immediately. I love the bright color splatter on the purple, this leo is one that looks great on everyone on the team. I especially love Keely’s bright color matching bow.
8. Phenom (*2Yr) & Naperville (*1Yr) & Gym America (*1Yr)
The number 8 spot is held by 3 gyms because I literally could not decide which pastel colored leotard I liked the most! All three of these leos are standouts on the competition floor, they are so different than any other leos out their with their bold pastel colors and their white or ombre accented arms. When any of these 3 leos hit the floor you immediately notice them.
7. MAG (Jason’s #1 Pick) & Splitz (*both 1st yr)
What I love most about these two leos is the elegance of them. MAG’s is eye catching the all purple with the hint of white on the bottle of the sleeves really takes it to the next level, all the jeweling really attracts attention and makes the dark purple really pop. MAG’s leo is also Jason’s number 1 pick!
Splitz leo reminds me of something Svetlana Khorkina would wear during the Olympic All-Around Final (she always wore black). Splitz leo is so classic and elegant, like a great little black dress with tasteful jeweling and on some you can see red under the mesh which adds a great eye catching effect on the competition floor.
6. Twistars USA
This year Twistars leo really jumps out at me, I love that they went back to their more original teal/blue color, that is signature Twistars for me. Twistars is a team of elegance, style and polish, their leotards should stand out just like their gymnastics and this leo certainly does just that. My favorite part of the leo is the design on the back, it reminds me of a great oscars dress classic and modest in the front and the back is the bold, flashy attention getter. Twistars really nailed it on the head with this leotard this year! It represents them so well!
I hope everyone enjoyed Part 1 (10-6) of the 2016 Top 10 Leos List! Stay tuned to find out who made our top 5 and which Region 5 Leo holds the spot of Favorite Region 5 Leo!
Abigail Matthews, CGA | L10 Bars 2016 R5Championships
Abigail Matthews, Cincinnati has some of the best lines on bars with some big skills as well. She had the highest bar score at the Region 5 Championships with a 9.7. This routine will be one to watch at JO Nationals in Fort Worth.
