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!