20 Questions Tuesday with DEV National Qualifier Layla Bobek (Universal)

October 19, 2021

It’s Tuesday!! That means its 20Q Tuesday!! Today we are featuring 1st time DEV National Qualifier Layla Bobek from Universal Gymnasts in Ohio. Layla, who moved to Level 10 pretty quickly, went undefeated on Vault in 2021 then placed in the top 20 at her 1st National Championships. I absolutely love watching Layla’s gymnastics especially on beam and vault. Layla flows down the beam so effortlessly and her straddle jumps are absolute perfection! I can definitely see why she went undefeated the entire year on vault, her vault is excellent, the shape in the air is what this vault should look like! Layla, who will graduate high school in 2025, will definitely be one to watch this season and for many more to come leading the future of Region 5. As meet season is fast approaching let’s get to know Layla a little better as she prepares to make a run at a 2nd Region 5 Dream Team in 2022.

How did you get into the sport of Gymnastics? How old were you? I was about 3 years old, and my parents decided to put me in classes because they thought it
would be something fun for me to do!

What is you favorite event? Why? My favorite event is vault! I love being able to use my power and not having to hold back.

What is your favorite Skill? Dream Skill? My favorite skill right now is probably my Jeager on bars! My dream skill would have to be a Yurchenko 1 1/2 on vault or a double layout on floor.

What is your favorite part of Gymnastics? Why? My favorite part of Gymnastics is the feeling of getting a new skill for the first time, or cheering
on my teammates and making memories with them!

What is your biggest accomplishment in the sport of Gymnastics (so far)? My biggest accomplishment so far in the sport of Gymnastics would have to be qualifying to
Level 10 Nationals this past year! It was so much fun and an amazing experience.

What is something you have learned in/from the sport of Gymnastics that
you will take with you long after retirement? Something I have learned from the sport of Gymnastics that I will take with me long after retirement is that it is okay to make mistakes. Nobody is perfect, and we all learn from our mistakes.

Who is your role model? Who inspires you? Why? How? My role model in this sport would probably be Mykayla Skinner! She is so amazing and has proved that you can go far if you never give up!

What is your most memorable meet moment? My most memorable meet moment would have to be competing and hanging out with all of the girls in my Nationals group! They are all so amazing and so much fun to be around!

What is your most embarrassing or funniest meet or practice moment? My most embarrassing meet moment would have to be when a huge piece of chalk fell into my
eye during one of my bar routines. I couldn’t see at all, and I ended up falling two times on my toe-on. Since I was trying so hard to get it out, I had chalk all over my face!

What is the most valuable piece of wisdom or advice you have received
from your coaches? The most valuable piece of advice I have received from my coaches is to take everything one step at a time. This applies to Gymnastics whenever I’m doing my skills or a routine, and for anything in real life!

If you could have any superpower what would it be? If I could have any superpower, it would be the ability to fly. That’s part of the reason I love
Gymnastics, it almost feels like I’m flying!

What was it like competing in your 1st Level 10 National Championships Competing in my first Level 10 Nationals was an amazing experience! It was so much fun

What was it like competing in your 1st Level 10 National Championships?Competing in my first Level 10 Nationals was an amazing experience! It was so much fun
getting to compete with the girls in my group and growing close to them! It was so fun knowing that all of the coaches and your teammates supported you and cheered you on as you competed! We all knew that we had a goal and we worked hard to achieve it. One of my favorite parts was getting to yell the Region 5 cheers to the other groups across the gym. We all supported each other and Region 5!

What was it like representing Region 5? What was a highlight or
memorable moment from the competition? Representing Region 5 was so much fun! One highlight from the meet was getting to run
through the tunnel when they called our group. We had our light up glasses and foam 5’s on our hands while all of the coaches cheered for us!

What is your favorite Region 5 Insider Feature or Series? My favorite Region 5 Insider Series would be the Making Moves Monday! I love being able to
see what all of the girls from across the region are working on.

What are the 5 most important items in your gym bag? The 5 most important items in my gym bag would be my grips, tiger paws, heel pads, rip fix,
and chapstick.

What are 3 things you could not live without? 3 things I couldn’t live without would be my friends, family, and my dog Baxter!

What do you like to do outside of Gymnastics? Outside of Gymnastics, I love to cook and bake, go to target, online shop, and watch Netflix!

What sets your team/gym apart? Something that sets my team and gym apart from others is how we are so supportive of each
other! We make sure we cheer and support everyone so that they know we have their back and to know that anything they do will be amazing!

Favorite Show or Series to Binge Watch on Netflix, Hulu or HBO+ My favorite show to binge watch on Netflix is Outer Banks!

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What is your dream job? My dream job would probably be being an Elementary School Teacher! I love kids, and I would
never get bored working with them. I would also love having my own classroom, and knowing that my job is helping others and impacting others!

Bonus Question: Tell us something interesting about yourself……….Something about me you might not know is that I was actually an excel gymnast until 4th
Grade! I decided to come to team after one of my meets because I knew that I wouldn’t be able to go the to Olympics if I didn’t join the team program. That dream has changed since then, but now I would love to compete for a D1 college.

R5 Rewind: 2021 Level 9 Eastern Championships

Jason MacDonald

October 18, 2021

The 2021 Level 9 Eastern Championships were held in Atlanta, Georgia May 7-9. Region 5 won 6 of 16 age groups (3 junior and 3 senior) on the way to winning the overall Super Team Trophy as the top region on the east side of the country (this side of the Mississippi River). Our region also won 5 Eastern All Around titles over the entire weekend (3 junior and 2 senior). Check out our breakdown of the competition with results, photos and videos for all 16 age groups.

Juniors (1-8)
– Full Results: Juniors
– Full Age Group Team Results
– Team Champions- Jr4, Jr7, Jr8
– Video Playlist Juniors

All Around Champions: Avery Moll, DMGC (Jr3); Julia Rausa, Libertyville (Jr4); Erin Wilbanks, Michigan Elite (Jr8)

Event Champions: Catherine Guy, Capital City (Jr1 Floor 9.75); Avery Moll, DMGC (Jr3 Vault 9.75); Julia Rausa, Libertyville (Jr4 Bars 9.5); Brooke Boggess, Queen City (Jr5 Bars 9.725); Isabel Bros, Queen City (Jr6 Bars 9.7); Jasmine Hou, Legacy Elite (Jr6 Beam 9.7); Noella Marshall, All American Flames (Jr6 Floor 9.725); Isabelle Hamilton, Michigan Elite (Jr7 Beam 9.5); Harmony Haro, Cincinnati (Jr7 Vault 9.725); Erin Wilbanks, Michigan Elite (Jr8 Bars 9.55); Mecca Chandler, TFZ (Jr8 Vault 9.75)

Seniors (1-8)
– Full Results: Seniors
– Full Age Group Team Results
– Team Champions- Sr1, Sr2, Sr4
– Video Playlist Seniors

All Around Champions: Kali Freeman, B&B (Sr2); Allison Beckwith, JPAC (Sr4)

National Event Champions: Kali Freeman, B&B (Sr2 Vault 9.7); Keeley Kohler, Michigan Elite (Sr2 Bars 9.6, Beam 9.65); Allison Beckwith, JPAC (Sr4 Bars 9.625); Addison Moore, JPAC (Sr5 Bars 9.625); Grace Suchecki, JPAC (Sr4 Floor 9.7); Naomi Brattinga, GTC-MI (Sr6 Vault 9.625); Riece Crooks, Cincinnati (Sr6 Floor 9.7); Tea Madjenovic, GymKhana (Sr7 Vault 9.75)

Coaches Wired: Ricia Story, Champion KY | I’ll Take It, I Stayed On

Jason MacDonald

October 14, 2021

On this episode of R5 Coaches Wired we listen in on Champion (KY) coach Ricia Story during the last event of Senior A session at Level 10 Nationals with her gymnast Retoshia Halsell. Retoshia (Toshia) injured her heal (bone bruise) during the training day and hindered her ability to land aggressively on her landings and take off on some of her leaps. Ricia and Toshia work through it to finish off the meet with a successful beam routine. Check out Ricia in action.

20 Questions with DEV National Qualifier Lauren O’Brochta (Legacy Elite)

Kim Dowis

October 12, 2021

It’s Tuesday!! That means its 20 Questions Tuesday!!! Today we are featuring, one of my favorite Floor workers, Lauren O’Brochta of Legacy Elite in Illinois. Lauren first caught my eye as a level 9, at Region 5 Championships, with her beautiful Floor routine. Lauren, who has won an R5 Insider Yahtzee Award, never fails to entertain on the Floor. I also love watching her execution and confidence on the Balance Beam, she works the beam as if she is walking on the Floor with incredible poise and strength. I am looking forward to the next few years to see what Lauren can do for Region 5. As season is about to kick off let’s get to know a little bit more about Lauren as she works hard in the gym at perfecting her twists, turns & tumbles in pursuit of a chance to represent Region 5 at the 2022 DEV National Championships.

How did you get into the sport of gymnastics? How old were you? As a 2 year old, I had tons of boundless energy. I was put into baby classes at the YMCA and continued to excel and find love for the sport.

What is your favorite event? Why? My favorite event is Beam. Dance and grace have always come naturally to me. I love to show off graceful elements as well as skill difficulty on this event.

What is your favorite Skill? Dream skill? My favorite skill is a full-in on floor. I learned it this summer and I’m working to get to compete it this season! My dream skill is a double layout on floor.

What is your favorite part of Gymnastics? Why? My favorite part of gymnastics is getting to compete with my teammates on floor. The high energy while we all show off our dance takes away the nerves of competing. I also love the friendships I have created over the years with so many different athletes.

What is your biggest accomplishment in the sport of Gymnastics (so far)? My biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far is qualifying to Level 10 JO Nationals. Hearing my name called at Regionals that I had qualified was truly an unforgettable experience. I got to compete with so many supportive girls and the atmosphere of representing Region 5 was amazing.

What is something you have learned in/from the sport of Gymnastics that you will take with you long after retirement? Through the sport of Gymnastics, I have learned that not everyday is going to be easy and perseverance is key. Getting back up and trying again after a fall is challenging, but this is what will make you succeed. I will take the trait of perseverance with me long after I retire.

Who is your role model? Who inspires you? Why? How? My role model today is Anastasia Webb. I trained with Anastasia when I was a level 7 and she was a level 10 at IGI. I admired her hard work and dedication to the sport. Her success when she was a college gymnast at Oklahoma has inspired me today.

What is your most memorable meet moment? My most memorable meet moment is hitting my beam routine at Regionals this past season. Beam was our last event and it determined if I would qualify to Nationals. The pressure was very high, but I pulled it out and hit a solid 9.5 routine. This was just one of my many memorable meet moments.

What is your most embarrassing or funniest meet or practice moment? My funniest meet moment was when I was competing in level 4. I was not the greatest at vault because I was so tiny. I had run my hardest toward the vault table, tripped and completely face planted into the board. Now, as I look back at the video, I laugh at how aggressive I ran towards the vault table only to trip and land on my face.

What is the most valuable piece of wisdom or advice you have received from your coaches? My coach, Anna Li, always says, “You are already in the gym, you might as well give 100%”. I remind myself of this daily which helps give me the motivation to make every day in the gym worth it.

If you could have any superpower what would it be? If I could have any superpower, I would like to fly. You could take endless vacations which us gymnasts don’t normally get!

What was it like competing in your 1st Level 10 National Championships? Competing at my first Level 10 Nationals was an experience I’ll never forget. It was amazing to see the talent of many gymnasts from all over the country. I created a strong bond with the teammates in my group that I continue to talk to today.

What was it like representing Region 5? What was a highlight or memorable moment from the competition? The team spirit and hype of Region 5 is always the best out of all the regions. Everyone is so supportive of each other and continues this high energy even after a fall. The most memorable moment from the competition was hitting a solid beam routine in this high pressure situation.

What is your favorite region 5 Feature or Series? My favorite region 5 Feature of Series is the Day in the Life videos. I love to see how each gymnast goes about their day and how they balance school and gymnastics.

What are the 5 most important things in your gym bag? The 5 most important things in my gym bag are my grips, tiger paws, pre-wrap, Advil, and a water bottle.

What are 3 things you could not live without? Three things I could not live without are my family, my air force Nike shoes, and mangoes!

What do you like to do outside of gymnastics? Outside of gymnastics I like to go on trips with friends, spend time with extended family, and do fun outdoor activities with friends.

What sets your team/gym apart? At Legacy Elite, the team bond is truly unmatched. We are all like a family and support each other in any situation.

Favorite Show or Series to Binge Watch on Netflix, Hulu or HBO+? My favorite show to Binge Watch was Stranger Things. I’m excited for the new season to come out!

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What is your dream job?
In 10 years I see myself just out of college looking to buy a house somewhere warm! I am unsure what my dream job is but I would like to pursue a career in business!

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Presented by Gym Treasures

Around the Gym: Michigan Elite Gymnastics | All Access Training

Jason MacDonald

October 10, 2021

We go around the gym with Michigan Elite Gymnastics Academy (MEGA) in Novi, Michigan presented by Tumbl Trak. Though not a complete all access workout, we get an all access look at their 8-10’s training for the Region 5 Insider Classic back in February. We get to see all 4 events plus trampoline, some conditioning and warm-up footage while hearing some of the comments and corrections made by owner Kim Tanskanen and assistant coach Joseph Rodriguez.

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