L4 - 10 Ocean State Classic - March 3, 2012

 The Ocean State Classic was held the weekend of March 3^rd in Lincoln, Rhode Island at the Twin River Casino.  The venue is definitely NOT a favorite of mine due to the exposure to second hand smoke, but some people like it because of the slot machines,  virtual gaming options, and simulcasts of horse and dog races the casino has to offer. 

Judging for this meet was probably the toughest we have seen all season.  9+ scores were definitely hard to come by, however each of our Teams managed to rack a few. 

The Level 4s racked up  11 of them!  The Level 5 – 8 Teams received 2 per Team and the Level 10 received 1.    All scores for the meet can be viewed by clicking the Meet Scores link on the homepage.  

L4 - 10 Friendship Classic February 25, 2012

The Level 4 – 10 Friendship Classic was held February 25 – 26 in Bow, NH. 

The Level 4’s chalked up 13 9+ scores. 

Grace competed in the Buddies Group.  She received a 9.1 (7^th) on vault.   She placed 4^th in the AA with a 35.375.   

Hannah E. placed 2^nd  in the BFF Group with a whopping AA score of 36.625.  She received 9+ scores for all 4 events!  Great job!   Also competing in the BFF Group Hannah B placed 1^st on vault with a 9.35 and Rya placed 5^th with a 9.05.

Alana placed first in the Chums Group with a whopping 36.15 AA.   She received 9+ scores on vault, bars, and floor.   Madi also competing in the Chums group received a 9.35 (2^nd) on vault. 

Katie competed in the Friends Group.  She received 9+ scores on both vault (9.3, 2^nd) and Beam (9.05, 3^rd).  She placed 2^nd in the AA with a 35.65. 

The Level 5’s chalked up 6 9+ scores. 

Alexi placed 3^rd AA (35.2) in the Friends Group.  She received a 9.025 (3^rd) on beam. 

Rachel competing in the Chums Group received 9+ scores on vault, bars and beam.  She placed 2^nd AA with a 36.275 AA.

Siera competed in the Pals Group.  She received a 9.225 (3^rd) on beam and 9.025 on floor.  She placed 1^st AA 2with 35.45.

The Level 6 earned 2 9+ scores .  

Emily competing in the BFF Group placed 2^nd in the AA with a 34.725.  She received a 9.2 (2^nd) on Beam. 

Krystiana competing in the Chums Group placed 3^rd with a 34.4.  She received a 9.0 (6^th) on Floor. 

The Level 7 earned 4 9+ scores.

Leah competed in the BFF Group.  She received a 9.05 (6^th) on Vault.  Ellie also competing in the BFF Group placed 3^rd AA with a 35.625.  She placed 2^nd on vault (9.325) and bars (9.3).

Jordan competed in the Group.  She received a 9.175 (4^th ) on vault and placed 3^rd in the AA (35.025). 

The Level 8s received 4 9+ scores.

Jackie placed 2^nd in the BFF Group with a 35.875 AA.  She placed 4^th on bars (9.25) and 2^nd on floor (9.25).  Nicole also competing in the BFF group tied for 3^rd AA with a 35.825.  She placed 3^rd on bars (9.275) and 3^rd on floor (9.0). 

 The Level 10s received 3 9+ scores. 

Competing in the BFF Group Alyssa placed 1^st AA with a 35.725.  She placed 1^st (9.375) on vault, 2^nd on bars (9.05) and third on floor (9.0).

 Great job girls! 

Excalibur Cup - February 17 - 20 2012 Virginia Beach

So last Friday it was off to Virginia Beach for the Excalibur Cup for some of the Optional Team.  We had a range of weather during this world-wind weekend.  Friday was foggy which resulted in Karen and Ellie spending about 17 hours of their day in airports. Yuck!!  Saturday was around 65 degrees which made for a beautiful day to play on the beach for the brave (Ellie) to dip their toes in the ocean.  Sunday was raw and rainy, but didn’t cause any issues with travel for those flying out of Norfolk, but those flying out of Richmond did have snow to contend with.  We were glad there was no school on Monday so we could catch up on our sleep!

The meet was held at the Virginia Beach Convention Center which is an absolutely gorgeous, unique, and huge building - it’s over 500,000 square feet of space enclosed in glass and steel walls!  From the outside the first thing that catches your eye is a soaring 147 foot glass and steel tower tapered from base to apex like the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse.  The rooftop observation deck is lit at night to form a glowing beacon that can be seen for miles.  As you enter the building an energy-saving glass curtain wall that curves around the entrance grabs your eye followed by the reflecting pools full of plants that tolerate draughts and conserve water.  The lobby has a really cool panoramic video screen that displays digital artwork and information about the Convention Center. 

The Convention Center is the first center in the country to achieve LEED Gold certification for Existing Buildings.  The LEED rating system for existing buildings measures operations, improvements, and maintenance on a consistent scale with the goal of maximizing operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts.  The Convention Center was built on the location of the original Pavilion Convention Center using recycled materials from the Pavilion such as steel, copper, aluminum, and concrete and reused asphalt from the original Pavilion. It has lots of green features - even the lighting and HVAC systems are programmed to conserve electricity during off hours and the energy-efficient windows limit UV penetration.  Cool huh?  In the big picture it is part of Virginia’s 40 year master plan to reinvigorate and “green” Virginia Beach.  Gotta love that!

As you work your way through the building there are abstract references to the beach, ocean, and ship masts, and rigging.  Even the carpet had an abstract geometric pattern that looked like towels laid out on the beach!  Among the grand ballroom, meeting rooms, exhibit halls and suites, there was a Starbucks which made me a very happy woman at Nicole’s 8:00 A.M. report time.  There were  gun and knife, coin, and bridal shows all going on at the same time, but they were on different floors with separate entrances and exits so it really seemed like the gymnastics meets were the only thing going on – which was amazing!  There was plenty of parking, plenty of seating, and everything was clean and bright. 

The meet was held in Exhibit Halls A – D which can be reconfigured for any type of event.  For the meet they were configured as one large room with 4 meets being held simultaneously.  That was cool because we could watch a wide range of gymnastics from Level 3 to Level 5, to Level 8, to a Men’s meet all at the same time.  The music resonating from 3 floors was a little crazy at times, but it kept things interesting!  The halls have 40 foot ceilings and a 240 foot clear span roof. The roof is one of the largest column-free spans in the U.S.   Now that is a significant feat of engineering!! 

The second floor where awards were held looked like a ship’s hull!   Separate rooms were used for each level so we didn’t have to sit through awards for the other sessions – thank heavens! 

Being an international meet there was tons of competition, but each of the OTW competitors made it to the podium.  The results are:  

LEVEL 7 

Ellie Sr A Division

Vault 8.9 7th    

Bars 8.875 5th

Beam 9.025 5th

Floor 8.90 7th

AA    35.70 4th

LEVEL 8  

Jacqualyn Sr B Division      

Vault8.50 3rd

Bars 9.425 1st   

Beam 9.075 3rd   

Floor 9.025 1st  

AA 36.025 1st

Nicole Jr Division     

Vault 8.45  7th  

Bars 8.925 8th

Beam 9.10  8th

Floor 8.85 8th   

AA 35.325 7th




LEVEL 10   
Allison Sr A Division  
Bars 8.00 7th    

 

Alyssa Sr B Division

Vault 8.70 7th
Bars 8.65 4th    
Beam 8.325 10th
Floor 8.875 5th
AA 34.55 3rd 

L4 - 10 Team Challenge Feb 3 - 5 2012

So I found Danbury, CT a little chilly this year.  It was particularly frosty when we went to check into the host hotel and found out they didn't have a room for us because they underestimated the size of their renovation.  They were smart though, they didn't bother to call or provide any other advanced warning because they knew that we were with a large group and they wanted to grab all the business they could before they ran out of rooms,  and before people found out their group was being split up.  They could learn a lot from Stew Leonard's customer policy!  Fortunately, there were no hitches when we checked into our second hotel. We are eternally grateful to all the Level 4 Moms who offered us space in their rooms when they heard what happened at the Plaza. You guys are awesome TEAM members and we really appreciate you! We had a lot of fun poolside and in the Palen Party Room. Thank heavens the kids were in the Lanouette Lounge!    

There was a minor problem with the Make-A-Wish Foundation stars.  Last year the whole back wall where the concessions are located was covered in stars and we could  easily identify ours because Audrey had tied gold ribbons to them and they were neatly hung by those ribbons.  This year Nicole and I added ribbons in our team colors and decorated several of them with glow in the dark paint. The idea being when they turned out the lights for march-in our stars would look awesome.

Wellllllll.....this year there was one small strip of maybe 18 stars on the back wall.... so I chatted up the Make-A-Wish volunteer and found they ran out of tape to hang the stars.  Funny, but the volunteer had nothing to do but hang the stars.  The meet volunteers collected the stars and the money and gave them to the Make-A-Wish volunteer to hang. She had huge piles of them on her table, but no tape.......hummmmmm. Not the best planning.   Later when were apparel shopping the volunteer and her Supervisor told me they had tape and they loved our stars so much they were going to hang them on the top of the bleacher and rehang them in their office after the weekend.  So I thought ok good and went on my merry way.  Later back in the stands I looked over and saw our stars hung in 3 bunches instead of spread out nicely so we could see them glow.  Well... they were at the top,  unfortunately on top of each other as well, but oh wellll... the important thing is that we helped make the Make-A-Wish Foundation the biggest winner of all. Together, the Team Challenge gymnasts collected $11,400, and they we're still counting at the end of the weekend! Congratulations, to everyone who helped make this possible!  

Things warmed up when our Level 4s racked up 15 9+ scores and get this this........7 of them were on beam!  Great job girls!  Congrats to Alana who scored 9+ on each event and finished the meet 3rd AA with a whopping 36.7.  Alana scored the Team's only 9 (2nd) on floor which was articularly awesome because the Floor Judges definitely were not giving anything away at this meet!  Hannah E. followed closely with an 8.9 (4th).   Hannah E. and Hannah B. were the Team Beam Queens each scoring a whopping 9.375 for their beautiful routines and tying for 5th. Alana and Grace placed 3rd and 4th with 9.2+ scores and Katie followed closely with 9.175.  Madi (5th)  and Tatyana both scored 9.05.  Hannah E. received the Team's highest bar score...a whopping 9.6 (1st) and finished the meet with a 36.725 AA!  Alana placed 4th  on bars with a 9.25.  Grace received a whopping 9.625 (2nd) for her awesome vault. Alana and Hanah B. received 9.1+ s and Tatyana and Katie received 9+ scores. 

 The Level 5s chalked up 7 9+ scores.  3 of those were awarded to Rachel for vault (9.05), beam (9.05), and floor (9.0).  Sarah M. tied Rachel with 9.05 on vault.  She received a 9.075 on beam as well.  Sarah Casey earned the Team's remaining 9+ scores on beam (9.0) and floor (9.0). Rachel (35.65) and Sarah M. (35.3) earned the Team's top AA scores.

For the Level 6s Emily received a 9.3 on beam. 

For the Level 7s Jordan and Ellie each racked up 3 9+ scores.  Jordan scored 9.250 on vault, 9.025 on bars and 9.150 on beam.  Ellie scored

9.250 on vault, 9.350 on bars and 9.200 on floor.  Great job girls!   
 

For the Level 8s, Kadianne and Jackie continued their winning streak achieving high 9s in every event.   Kadianne received a whopping 9.45 on vault, bars, and beam and 9.125 on floor.  She finished the meet with an awesome AA of 37.475.  Jackie received a 9.1 on floor, a whopping 9.475 on bars, 9.225 on beam, and a 9.05 on floor.  She finished the meet with a 36.9 AA.  Nicole a 9.1 on beam and placed 5th on vault with a score of 8.8.  The team was thrilled to have Sarah back competing with them.  She competed both bars(8.1) and beam (8.55).  Yippeee! 

 

Kaylee (Level 9) chalked up a 9.05 on vault and a 9.15 on beam.  She finished the meet with a 35.825 AA.

Congratulations to Alyssa (Level 10) who received a 9.3 on vault and 9.175 on bars and qualified to Event Finals for both of these events. She placed 2nd on bars at Event finals and received a lovely Coach bag. Just prior to Alyssa's bar routine at the Event Finals another gymnast fell on bars and after quite some time was imobolized by paramedics and wheeled out on a stretcher.  Alyssa did an incredible job of maintaining her focus during the 20 to 30 minutes she was left standing at the bars waiting her turn, knowing the last gymnast on the same event suffered a bad fall. She placed 2nd on bars.  Now that is focus and determination!  Her reward was a large Coach bag.  Event final awards are always great gifts!   

Since Nicole's meet and Event Finals were back to back we decided to get a couple of cheeseburgers at that snack bar so that wouldn't miss any of

the Finals.   The woman took our money and gave us our cheeseburgers and told us they were cheeseburgers with no cheese.  Nicole and I kind of giggled thinking it was a lame joke, but she didn't smile and repeated it.  There was something of a language barrier, but I did a couple rounds of...... I don't understand how can a cheeseburger have no cheese and if it doesn't have any cheese why did I get charged for cheeseburgers instead of the lower price for hamburgers........mind you the volunteer at the Make-A-Wish table is getting a big kick out of this conversation.....after about three go arounds of this silly conversation we got our cheeseburgers.   We were afraid to eat them, but we got them! LOL!

On the way home from CT we stopped at Stew Leonards which was completely packed with Giants fans picking up their Super Bowl snacks.   I had my camera, but was told by the Police Officer at the door that pictures weren't allowed.  What a bummer!  Kind of like a cheeseburger without cheese! But the customer is always right - right?