Medals at Level 9/10 Regionals

At this year's Level 9 & 10 Regionals, held in Syracuse, New York, OTW was able to send all three of our Level 9 and 10 gymnasts. Kenna competed first, in the 2nd session on Saturday. Of course the competition was talented, they'd have to be just to BE at Regionals. Kenna placed highest on Beam, but her highest score was on Floor. Becca competed in the Senior B group, in the 4th session on Saturday. She won two bronze medals, one for her 9.30 on Vault, and another for her 9.30 on Floor. Bri competed in the 4th session on Sunday, in the Junior D group. She won a silver medal for her 9.40 on Floor.

We're proud of you all, ladies.

OTW Girls Win Again!Tag Day Successful

Okay, maybe we didn't exactly need an armored car to transport the Tag Day proceeds, but it felt like it. Saturday's Tag Day was a huge success -- our best ever. The beautiful weather helped, as did the enthusiasm of the girls. Altogether, the girls took in more than the booster club had anticipated and accomplished our goal of raising enough to make sure all the girls who qualified for Regionals will get some support. This was no small task either. OTW has NINE girls going to Regionals. It has been a long time since OTW has sent this many gymnasts to Regionals. It was great to see many of their team mates, even some Level 4 and 5 girls, turn out to support them. Such team spirit is inspiring.

Thanks to all you parents who helped out with taxi service and chaperone duty.

A big thanks to you girls! Emma T., Ellie, Maddie K., Hanna, Hope, Allie K., Kalley, Nicole, Jackie, Allie A. Emma L, Anne, Amanda, Morgan, Jamie, Kayla, Jess, LaNaya, Alyssa, Courtney, Kenna, Becca and Bri.

(I can't help but think I forgot someone, but I lost my list and was going from memory. (Risky) If I left anyone out, I apologize. Use the comments feature below to set me straight. I'll fix it.)

Eights Excite !

It couldn't get much more exciting than this. Forecaster Jim Nast sure called this one, when he said it would be BIG! The championship came down to the last competitor on the last event of the meet. Total nail-biter material. In the morning, the Level 7 Team pulled off a victory that also went down to the last event. The 8s found themselves in almost the exact same situation. The Atlantic 8s were in good form. Atlantic started on Vault, OTW started on Floor. After the first rotation, OTW had a narrow lead. After the second rotation, OTW still had a small lead. There was some very high scores on both sides. At the last rotation, Atlantic was on Floor -- their strongest event. OTW was on Beam -- their weakest event. The Atlantic girls were excellent, turning some very high Floor scores. OTW wasn't having too good a start on Beam.

High Drama on Beam
What lead OTW had, was gone halfway through the last rotation. Atlantic's girls were red hot on Floor. All other gymnasts were done competing, except OTW's last four competitors on Beam: Courtney, Alyssa, Allison, and LaNaya. The team needed a rotation score of 27.45 to win. Courtney gave them a good start with a 9.125. Alyssa turned in an awesome 9.325 on Beam. With that big boost, it came down to the last competitor: LaNaya. No one else was competing. All eyes were on her. (no pressure!) OTW needed a 9.00 from LaNaya. She stuck her series, but on her full turn, she looked like she was going to fall. A collective gasp rose from the many OTW fans in the stands. LaNaya held on. The rest of her routine went smoothly. Her final score of 9.05 was enough to push the OTW team ahead by 0.075. Talk about close! Where are those defibrillators? Open some windows!

Heavy Medal
After such a championship effort, it was only natural that all of the girls were up for awards. Melinda was up for her Vault and her very nice Bars routine. OTW's golden girls were Kayla, gold on Vault (9.55!) and Floor in the 15+ age group, and Alyssa, gold on Vault, Bars (a 9.70!!) and All Around, 13-14 age group. Silver medals went to Alyssa for Beam, Allison for Bars, LaNaya for Bars and Beam and Kayla for All Around. Bronze medals went to Courtney for Beam, Allison for All Around, Jess for Floor and LaNaya for All Around. What an awesome team!

Nail Biting
At the awards ceremony, everyone knew it was very very close. Tristar took 5th. Granite State took 4th. Gym Village took 3rd. It was down to just Atlantic and OTW. On paper, OTW's 111.950 had narrowly edged out Atlantic's 111.875, but there was still the possibility that one of the scores had been flashed wrong. The many OTW fans in the stands, clutching their score sheets in nervous hands, knew that their numbers were unofficial. No one could relax yet. When the announcer called Atlantic up for 2nd place, the fans erupted into cheers. The OTW girls (who had been locked in a tightly clinched pinky ring) burst into screams of amazed delight. Oh sure, the meet organizer left the banners at home (hence the pasted over one on the photo above), but no matter. They were State Champions -- again! This is the same team that was Level 7 State Champion in 2006 and again in 2007. There's no doubt about it. They've all proven that they've got what it takes. They're all champions.

Way...To...Go...Girls! It's going to take a solid week for your many fans to calm down.

Sevens Super Again

OTW's Level 7 Team proved that they're championship material, again. This team was NH's Level 6 champions last year. They did it again this year as Level 7s. This win carries on the winning tradition. This marks the third year in a row that OTW has taken home the Level 7 championship banner. OTW's team score of 110.40 narrowly topped Atlantic's 110.275.

Yipes!
Mackenzie sprained her arm at school just a few days before States. Her doctor told her it would hurt to do gymnastics, but wouldn't do any more damage. Mackenzie, the trooper, decided to compete all four events. Her team needed her. It was a very close contest all the way through. OTW and Atlantic remained within less than a point of each other all through the first three rotations.

No Pressure, or anything
At the last rotation, Atlantic had pulled ahead by just a little. It came down to the last event, Beam. All the other competitors were done, getting their gym bags and heading for the awards floor. Madison had yet to do her Beam routine. With everyone watching (including the next session waiting to get in) she would have to turn in a 9.375 on Beam for her team to win. For the past several meets, Madison had been scoring in the 9.0 to 9.1-something range. But, when the pressure was on, she pulled out her best. She turned in an amazing 9.50 routine, to push her team ahead. This is a very solid team, with every girl contributing at least two scores towards the winning team total.

There was gold galore among the OTW 7s. Madison took gold on Vault, Beam and All Around. Mackenzie, despite the sore arm, grabbed gold on Vault, Bars and All Around. Amanda took gold on Vault too with a 9.55, meaning that OTW took gold in all three age groups. Jamie took gold on Floor. Her silver medal Bars score went towards the team total. Morgan's impressive 9.25 on Floor and bronze medal winning 9.225 on Bars was part of this impressive team score.

The meet organizers didn't have a banner on hand to present to you at awards, so we offer up for you the little Photoshopped version (above), until they deliver your real one. Excellent job, ladies. We couldn't be more proud.

Level 8 Regionals: Prospects?

With States looming for the Level 8 Team, it's pretty natural to wonder how many OTW girls will be going on to Regionals. Unlike qualifying for Sectionals or States, qualifying for Regionals is not as simple achieving a certain threshold All Around score. The top seven gymnasts (based on All Around scores) in each age bracket will go to Regionals as part of the New Hampshire team. The eighth scoring girl in each age group goes to Regionals as part of the mixed-states team. 

Region VI will also select an All Stars team based on a percentage of a percentage of States competitors based on their All Around scores, regardless of age. NY-USAG says that typically over half of the 90 All Stars usually come from New York state. New Hampshire will get at least a few of those All Stars slots. Just who gets on that All Stars squad will not be as quick to find out.

What are OTW's Level 8's prospects for Regionals?
Of course, one should never count chickens before they hatch, but a look back at Sectionals can give a hint. At the first Sectional OTW had five Level 8 girls in the top seven.  At the second Sectional, there were also five OTW girls in the top seven, and one in the eighth. At States, OTW will have three girls in the 13-14 age group, four in the 15+ group. Coach Paul is confident that all of them are capable of making it to Regionals. The wildcard in such figurings is that some notable gymnasts of other gyms were present at one Sectional but not the other, so there will be more competition at States for those top eight slots.  Nonetheless, it looks reasonable to guess that OTW could be sending at least four gymnasts -- maybe more -- to the Level 8 Regionals. 

Now that's pretty exciting stuff. Go 8s! You can do it!

Bringin' Home the Gold

OTW's Level 9 and 10 gymnasts were in good form at this year's 9-10 State Meet. Between them, Bri and Becca brought home 3 gold medals, a silver and a bronze. Bri is State Champion on Beam, with a 9.30 and tied for State Champion on Floor with a 9.35. She took the silver in the All Around with a 36.400. Becca took home the gold on Vault with a 9.35 and the bronze on Bars. Kenna scored a 34.00 in the All Around, which according to the NH-USAG site is the required score to go on to Regionals.

Way to go, ladies!

Outlook for 8s at States

by OTW's favorite forecaster, Jim Nast

Now that Sectionals are behind us, how do things look for the 8s at States? It's hard to get all exact about predictions, of course, but a look at the previous scores can give you an idea.

OTW -- The Level 8 Team racked up a 109.75 team score at the second Sectional. This narrowly edged Atlantic into second place. At the first Sectional, the OTW 8s posted a 108.875. The 8s had improved their Vault since the first Sectional. While still not their strongest event, they had proven they were capable of some big numbers. Bars was respectable, and showed a modest improvement. Beam, was another story. They've shown that they can get the big scores on Beam, but consistency has proven elusive. Floor has typically been their strongest event with several girls frequently scoring in the mid to lower 9s. If the OTW 8s stay on their current improvement curve, they're on track for a team score in the lower to mid 110s. If a couple of their event-stars (who were having somewhat "off" days) hit their skills (as they have in prior meets), this could raise the team total to the high 110s. Good, but not a shoe-in by any means.

Atlantic -- At the second Sectional, the Atlantic 8s turned in a team score of 109.60 -- very close behind the OTW team. In the first Sectional, the Atlantic 8s scored a 105.05, but they were missing one of their high scoring girls. At the second Sectional, they had their high scorer back and all of them had shown improvements. They also had the slight advantage of competing on their home equipment. As before, the Atlantic girls were very strong on Floor and shown marked improvement on Vault. They had improved a bit on Bars, but this was still their weak event. If the Atlantic 8s continue on their current improvement curve, they could be scoring in the high 110s, making them a very tough team to beat.

Gym Village -- At the second Sectional, the GV girls were competitive on Vault. On the Bars and Floor they were not quite as strong, but not too far behind either. Their team score was 108.075. This is up by roughly 3 full points from their first Sectional, so they have clearly been tightening up their routines. Following their improvement curve, GV could be turning in mid 109s. The banner might not be in the cards, but they could be nipping at the 2nd place trophy.

Outlook for the 8s at States? It will be a very close contest between OTW and Atlantic. With less than a quarter point separating them at this point, it could go either way. Both teams are definitely championship material. This promises to be a fascinating State Meet. Every gymnast's performance will be important. Eat a good meal beforehand, gymnastics fans. You won't want to miss any of the action because you were in the snack bar.

7s States Outlook?

by OTW's Chief Forecaster, Jim Nast

OTW's Level 7 Team had a good run at the second Sectional of the season. Their team total came in a 110.05, up from their first Sectional score of 109.55. At this meet, the 7s were strong on Vault and respectable on Bars. Beam had improved some since the first Sectional, but remains the team's weaker event. On Floor they were always strong, but managed to push things up just a little more. If they follow their current improvement curve, they could score in the high 110s. That's good, but will it be enough?

Atlantic, -- They have a strong Level 7 team this year. At this second Sectional, they put together a team score of 110.5. They made a lot of progress since the first Sectional, where they scored a 108.50. Their stars were clearly performing well, especially on Floor. Their Vault rotation score was good, as was their Bars score. Beam was their weaker event too, but a 27.35 for a rotation score is still respectable. Having a meet on your own home equipment does give a little edge, but how much? If they stay hot for States, the Atlantic 7s could score in the 111s. They don't have a lock on the banner, but they can't make any mistakes either. The competition is too close behind them.

TriStar -- The Dover gym has a sizable Level 7 team this year and they've been improving steadily. At this second Sectional, they scored a 109.14. This is up from the 106-something at the first Sectional, so the TriStar 7s is clearly heating up. If they keep that improvement, they too could be scoring in the 110s at States.

Several other gyms have smaller teams, which makes it much harder for them to get into the 110s. On a team of three, for example, each girl would have to score an average of 9.175 on every event. Do-able, sure, but no one could have a single "off" event.

So, what's the forecast? It looks like it will be a very close contest between OTW and Atlantic this season. Both have some seriously talented girls and enough depth to handle the occasional "off" routine. They both also have some issues on Beam, so it might come down to which team can tame that pesky Beam in time. But, don't count out Tristar. They've been coming up fast. This year's State Meet may be so close, it could come down to a toe-point, or a bent arm or a wobble. With a meet this close, who needs caffeine?!