Saturday, January 19, 2008

Hartford: 8s' Good Bad Day

Level 8 team in Hartford '08
OTW's Level 8 Team took 2nd place eagle trophy in this year's Northeast Invitational, only narrowly edged out of 1st by the New Jersey team. This came as a bit of a surprise as the team was not having a particularly good day. The Beam, especially, was problematic. Almost everyone had a fall or serious wobble. It was not a good day on Beam. Clean landings on Vault were also proving elusive. Compounding this, the judging had been fairly strict too, so there were precious few 9s flashed. Given the overall lower scores and troubles, few expected to take home a team trophy of any size. During awards, it became apparent that things were not quite as bleak as it seemed.

In the Junior B group, Allison and Alyssa were often on the winners' platform beside each other. Allison tied for 4th on Vault. Alyssa took 3rd on Bars. Allison took the silver on Beam. Alyssa took the bronze on Floor. Alyssa took 3rd in the All Around, Allison 4th. In an evening of few 9s, Alyssa scored two: a 9.05 on Bars and a 9.00 on Floor.

In the Senior A group, it was Kayla and Courtney's turn, heading to the platform for every event. Kayla took the gold on Vault with a 9.05. She took the gold again on Bars. Courtney took the bronze on Beam. On floor, they took 6th and 8th. In the All Around, they stood beside each other: Kayla taking 2nd and Courtney the 4th place trophy.

In the Senior B group, Jess, Shilanna, LaNaya and Melinda took their turn. Shilanna took the gold medals in Vault and Bars (9.10 on Bars). Melinda took the bronze on Bars. Jess took home a gold, a silver and a bronze on Floor, Vault and Beam. LaNaya took the gold on Beam with a 9.20 and the silver on Bars. In the All Around, it was an OTW sweep of the top three -- LaNaya, Jess and Shilanna. Melinda took home an All Around trophy too.

After the individual awards, in which every girl won multiple medals and took home a trophy, they seemed to have done rather well for having a bad day. Still, it took them (and the parents) a bit off guard when they were called up as the 2nd place team. Way to go 8s! You're still good even on bad days.

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