State Championships L7 - Midland, MI
4-25-10:  The Lady Flames Level 7 Team brought home the 2nd Place Team Banner from the 2010 State Championships held at Northwood University in Midland, MI.  The dedication to finishing strong was evident throughout the weeks leading up to the competition as well as the meet site itself.  Emotions ran from jubilant to crushed as the realities of imperfection were overcome as well as attained.  Happy are they who score a dominant 29.000 event score (vault) and lead all other event scores.  Disappointed are they who fail at otherwise make-able routines.  That's life in the fast lane.  Better tighten your lug nuts, lest your wheels fall off!  The girls ran solid on vault and floor, but a little loose on bars and beam.
     Leading the charge to the finish was Mackenzie Shell who easily had her best meet to date (37.900 - 2nd pl.).  Rita Koenigbauer, who developed a reputation for shake-ability, was stoic in her efforts and a solid inspiration for her team.  She blasted out a 37.750 all-around score which won her age-division.  Samantha Smith grabbed the silver medal with her business-as-usual 37.600 all-around performance.  A pleasant surprise was Alexis Verstraete's 9.625 gold medal vault routine.  Brooke Konik nailed a 9.725 gold medal, also on the vault.
    
Congratulations to a great team of gymnasts on a meaningful season!

Regional Championships L8 - Kalamazoo, MI
4-17-10:  The 2010 Level 8 Regional Championships were held at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI.  Our three level 8 girls participated.  Amanda Holderby began the competition for the Lady Flames on her weakest event, but showed a surprisingly strong routine on beam (9.25). She coupled that with a solid Floor exercise.  Thirdly, went to vault and won it (9.675).  Finally, she was poised to coast across the finish line and into a probable 1st place finish (37.3-ish) with a bars routine she makes consistently.  This is why she'll spend the next few days digging that stinger out, it hurts when you fail at something this close.  She made two uncharacteristic mistakes on her final event, which promptly dropped her to 13th place.  Ouch.
     The pain was all but forgotten with our final session.  Katie Karadjoff and Breanna Goggin wrapped up the competition for the Lady Flames.  Goggin coming off a nagging ankle break, squeaked into regionals, and performed bravely.  She concluded with a nice beam routine which landed her a 9.25 (6th place).  Karadjoff shunning an untimely 2-week sickness which blasted a couple ear-drums, performed with a graceful elegance.  She plodded from floor to vault to bars with a 9.125, 9.325 and a 9.2.  Then to her strongest event where she really lets her form shine... the balance beam!  After a solid warm up, and ample time to survey the competition determining that victory was easily within her grasp, she mounted the beam - then promptly dismounted it prior to the conclusion.  Oops!  After briefly analyzing her disgust, she snapped forward and finished the "best beam routine of the day."  Her 9.1 kept her in the top of the class, but was a heartbreaking reminder that 1st Place could, or should, have been.  4th Place all around.  ~sniff~

Regional Championships L9/10 - Lansing, MI
4-10-10:  Gedderts Twistars hosted the 9/10 Regional Championships for R5 at the summit in Dimondale, MI.  Four Lady Flames competed for a chance to represent Region 5 at Nationals later this month.  Level 10 gymnasts Jessica Leadbetter and Amanda Stepp both performed better than they did at states, but just not enough to make the national team.  Amanda Stepp, haunted by an uncharacteristic mistake from last year, suffered a similar result this time through.  Despite a 1st place (tie) vaulting performance and a 3rd place (tie) floor exercise, a skill "always made" took her out of the running.  A fall from the beam.  This was enough to drop her from 7th to 12th, and out of any Nationals consideration (J.O. or NIT).  The graciousness of another athlete ahead of her, bowing out of the NIT, allowed Stepp another chance for collegiate exposure - Stepp was next in line for an NIT spot.  Jessica Leadbetter's chances dwindled after a strong showing on her first two events floor (5th) and vault.  She hit her feet on the floor during an otherwise excellent bars routine then sealed her fate with a fall from the balance beam.
     Level 9's Samantha Pennazoli and Delina Phillips also shared in the disappointment of the weekend.  Pennazoli, a long shot to make Nationals, was hoping to ride her surprise States performance into this highly competitive event.  She showed determination during her competition (4th place tie vault), but came up short of her goal.  Delina Phillips entered Regionals as one of Michigan's best L9 vaulters and left Regionals as THE top Level 9 vaulter.  Even this wasn't enough to stop Phillips from repeating her dismay from last year, as she once again missed the illusive Nationals event - this time by an uncharacteristic fall during her floor routine.  This one mistake aside, Delina had a fantastic meet.
     The beauty of the Regional Championships is also it's beast!  It's all or nothing, and no mistakes are allowed.  Jubilation or heartbreak, with very little in-between.  Unfortunately for these 4 Lady Flames, there was little of the former with too much of the latter.  Let's hope lessons were learned and goals were set.
    

All Star Invite/SQM - Shelby Twp, MI
4-10-10:  The Lady Flames sent Levels 4-7 to Olympia Gymnastics Academy's All Star Invitational.  This was the final competition prior to their State Championships which follow in a few weeks.  The Level 7 team captured the first place team award with a 113.900 score.  Brooke Konik received a team leading 38.075!  The Level 6 team fraught with injury showed some improvement as they won the 4th place team trophy.  The Level 5 girls brought home the 2nd place award, missing first by one tenth.  The Level 4 team won the 1st place team trophy with their 113.425.