TAAF State Meets

TAAF STATE MEETS

The Level 4 Texas Amateur Athletic Federation (TAAF) state meet was held in Whitney, Texas April 24-25. Jessica Mingee had the highest vault score on the EWA team with a score of 9.5. Catherine Constantini swept the other events, earning the highest score on bars (9.7), beam (9.4), floor (9.05) and all-around (37.6).

Levels 5 through 8 had their state meet, hosted by ASI Firewheel, on May 1-2.

The Level 5 team had two event champions. In division 3, Kayla Spillman was the balance beam champion(9.85) and she earned third all-around (36.85) and fourth on vault. In division 7, Erin Palmer won vault (8.55) and took silver on floor (8.9). Gabrielle Smith took second place on floor (9.45) and fifth on vault in division 6. Maleah Ross, also in division 6, earned fourth on floor. Earning fifth place was Isabelle Muirhead on bars in division 3, and Katherine Carter on vault in division 9.

Taylor Brooks won the Level 7, Division 3 balance beam title with a score of 9.475, and Macy Holdrich placed fifth on bars.

Level 8 gymnast Maddie Kruse took silver all-around (35.45) by earning second on beam (9.375) and bars (8.35), fourth on vault (8.575) and fifth on floor (9.15). Rachel Pierret took bronze on beam (9.175) and vault (8.725) to earn fifth place all-around. Cara Lake placed fourth on floor (9.3) and fifth on vault.

TAAF at Mesquite

TAAF AT MESQUITE

The Texas Amateur Athletics Federation (TAAF) team at EWA took part in the Spring Fling meet in Mesquite the weekend of April 10.

Four girls competed in the Level 8 division. Maddie Kruse won first place all-around (34.45), and first on uneven parallel bars (8.55). Hailey Thomas was the floor exercise champion (9.175) and tied for first on vault with teammate Cara Lake (8.55). Lake was also the balance beam champion (8.925) and earned silver all-around (33.725).

Jenna Wicker, Level 7, placed second on vault and floor exercise, with scores of 8.75 and 8.65, respectively.

Level 5 Division 2 gymnast Kayla Spillman was the balance beam champion (9.425) and took second on floor exercise (9.6). In Division 4 Gabrielle Smith won first all-around (34.05) and second on beam (8.9). Katherine Carter, in Division 7, placed second all-around and on bars, and third on floor and vault.

On the Level 4 team, Catherine Constantini had the highest score among her teammates for vault (9.7), beam (9.5) and all-around (35.5). Bria Shavers had the highest EWA score on floor (8.8) and bars (8.7).

TAAF Team Winners in Plano

TAAF TEAM WINNERS IN PLANO

The Carpenter Recreation Center was the site of a Texas Amateur Athletic Federation (TAAF) gymnastics meet February 6-7.

Level 8 gymnast Maddie Kruse won the all-around (33.35) as well as taking first place on bars (8.5) and beam (8.0), and second on vault (8.65) and floor (8.45). Rachel Pierret took gold on floor exercise (9.0) and vault (8.65), and silver on beam and bars to take second all-around (32.55).

Taylor Brooks, Level 7 Division 2, earned a silver medal on balance beam with a score of 8.4.

Isabelle Muirhead, Level 5 Division 3, earned a 9.1 on balance beam to tie for first place on that event. Kayla Spillman tied for second on floor exercise. In Division 4, Allison Moring tied for third on floor (9.2), and in Division 5, Gabrielle Smith tied for third on vault (8.4).

The Level 4 Achievement gymnasts earned colored ribbons according to their scores. Earning blue ribbons on vault for scores 9.0 and above were Catherine Constantini and Amanda Hares, both earning 9.5, Jessica Mingee (9.4) and Allie Bianchi (9.3). Blue ribbon winners on uneven bars were Amanda Hares (9.6), Catherine Constantini (9.35) and Allie Bianchi (9.0).

On balance beam, red ribbons (for scores of 8.0 to 8.9) were earned by Allie Bianchi, Priscilla Ramirez, Sophia Huessner, and Catherine Constantini. Bianchi, Constantini, Hares and Bria Shavers all earned red ribbons for their scores on floor exercise. Of the EWA team, Constantini had the highest all-around score (36.2), followed by Hares (35.8) and Bianchi (35.6).

EWA at Metroplex Challenge Tag Team

EWA AT METROPLEX CHALLENGE

The Dallas Convention Center was busy the weekend of January 29-31, as it was the venue for gymnastics testing and competitions for teams from around the nation. Eagle’s Wings Athletics (EWA) had their two girls teams participate in the Metroplex Challenge.

EWA’s TAAF (Texas Amateur Athletic Federation) team also enjoyed a successful meet. Level 5 Rachel Johnston swept her level by taking gold on every event. She earned 9.0 on beam, 9.1 on floor, 8.5 on vault and 7.75 on bars to get a 34.35 total.

Maleah Ross, in Division 7, took four gold medals (floor – 8.8, beam - 7.75, bars - 7.5 and all-around (30.85). Kayla Spillman won second place on beam (9.10) in Division 3, while Allison Moring earned second on beam (8.65) and third on vault (8.325) in Division 4. Lexie Davis, Haley Rose Benter, Katherine Carter all earned bronze medals.

Winning first place team was Level 7. Taylor Brooks was the beam champion for Division 2 with a score of 8.9. She also earned second on floor (8.65) and third all-around. Hannah Warrick (Division 2) earned bronze medals on vault and bars, and Jenna Wicker (Division 3) on vault and floor.

Hailey Thomas was the bars champion in Level 8 with a score of 7.2. She earned an 8.6 on vault for a bronze medal. Rachel Pierret earned in the top three on each event - second on vault (8.65), floor (8.2) and bars (7.15), and third on beam (7.5) and all-around (31.5). Maddie Kruse won second place all-around (31.75), with second place scores on beam (8.05) and bars (7.15) and a third place win on floor (8.15).

Level 4 competed for achievement ribbons and earned second place for the team award. Catherine Constantini and Allie Bianchi tied for the highest score on vault (9.4) and floor (9.0). Catherine won first on bars and beam, scoring a 9.0 on each, while Allie scored second on both. Sophia Heussner had the second highest scores on vault and floor, while Addie Hebert, Bria Shavers and Priscilla Ramirez all earned bronze medals.

TAAf coaches at EWA are Maria Garcia, Kassandra Bursch, Mandy Glucroft and head coach Alan Kirby.

EWA Gymnasts Rock at the Hop

EWA GYMNASTS ROCK AT THE HOP

Pull out your poodle skirts, we’re going to the Hop. The Texas Amateur Athletic Foundation (TAAF) gymnastics team at Eagle’s Wings Athletics (EWA) put on their annual At The Hop Invitational January 23. Teams from around the region came to Allen to strut their stuff and see how the competition stacked up.

EWA’s Maddie Kruse and Hailey Thomas, both Level 8, took turns earning first and second place on each event. Maddie finished on top with first place all-around (32.85) by winning gold medals on balance beam (9.3) and uneven parallel bars (7.3). She took second place on vault (8.55) and floor exercise (7.7). Hailey won first place on vault (8.7) and floor (8.425), and second on beam (8.8) and bars, to earn silver all-around (31.375).

The Level 7 team took second place in the team awards. In Division 3, Hannah Warrick earned second place on balance beam with a 9.5. Taylor Brooks was right behind her in third place with a 9.4 on beam.

In Level 5, Rachel Johnston earned three gold medals – balance beam (9.85), vault (9.4) and all-around (36.5) in Division 5. Her all-around score advanced her to Division 1. Kayla Spillman won silver medals on beam (9.35) and floor (8.825). Isabelle Muirhead took third place all-around with a score of 34.25.

Lexie Davis dominated Division 6 by winning three event titles and the all- around. Her first place finishes on beam (9.0), floor (8.15) and bars (7.7), and second place on vault (8.0), earned her a 32.85 total score. Silver all-around (31.35) was awarded to Gabrielle Smith, who was the vault champion (8.3), and took second on beam (8.75) and floor (8.05). Erin Palmer took third all-around (29.25), after earning third place on vault and bars. Maleah Ross won silver on bars (7.55).

In Division 7, Katherine Carter tied for second on vault with a score of 8.0.

The Level 4 team competed for achievement ribbons, earning a different color for each score range. Catherine Constantini had the highest score on vault, bars, floor and all-around, with the second highest beam score. Jessica Mingee had the highest beam score, and second highest on vault, floor and all-around. Sophia Heussner had the second highest bars score, while Addie Hebert and Allie Bianchi each took the third highest, on bars and vault respectively.

The TAAF team at EWA is coached by Maria Garcia, Kassandra Bursch, Mandy Glucroft, and head coach Alan Kirby.

USAIGC National Champions Return to Allen

Contact: Alan Kirby Phone: (972) 727-9911

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 9 A.M. EDT, July 9, 2009

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS RETURN TO ALLEN

ALLEN, TX: Beautiful Palm Springs, California played host city to the National Championships of the United States Association of Independent Gymnastics Clubs, Inc. (USAIGC) from June 26 to July 1. Thirteen gymnasts from Eagle’s Wings Athletics (EWA) qualified to compete, bringing home medals and National Champion titles.

Makenna Wellborn earned the title National All-Around Champion in the age 16 and over Platinum division. To earn the all-around gold she took first place on uneven parallel bars, second place on balance beam, and third on both floor exercise and vault. Her event placements in the all-around competition the first day qualified her to compete in the event finals the second day. There she took silver on floor exercise  and placed fourth on bars, and fifth on vault and beam.

“I am extremely proud of Makenna winning the All Around Champion this year”, said EWA’s USAIGC head coach Alan Kirby. “She has made unbelievable progress being out of the gym the past three years and only being back for four months!  Makenna has worked so hard for this moment and put everything she had into this competition showing that hard work, dedication and perseverance can help you achieve any goal you set.”

In the Gold (Level division, Kelsey Pence won fourth place all-around (35.5) out of the 31 gymnasts in the 12 to 14-year- old division. She earned first place on vault (8.8), third on uneven bars (8.9) and fourth on floor (9.45) to qualify to compete those three events the next day. In event finals she took bronze on floor exercise (9.5) and vault (8.9) and placed seventh on bars (8.65). Hailey Thomas and Kassandra Bursch also competed in the Gold division, helping the team earn tenth place in team awards.

Cara Lake placed fifth on bars (9.1) and sixth on vault (9.525) to earn tenth place all-around (35.375) in the Silver (Level 7) division, age 14 and over group. In the event finals she won bronze on bars (9.15) and placed sixth on vault (9.225). Taylor Brooks and Maddie Kruse also competed in the Silver division, in the age 10-11 group. Of the 33 girls in the group, Brooks finished seventh on balance beam (9.25) to qualify for that event final, where she earned sixth place (9.25). Kruse placed ninth on bars (9.225) in the preliminaries, and tenth (7.8) during event finals. Other EWA gymnasts in the Silver division were Allie Riggs and Hannah Warrick. EWA’s Silver team also took tenth place.

Lauren Sedillo, who competed in the Bronze division (level 5), won both floor exercise (9.675) and beam (9.35) in the preliminaries. She also placed second on vault (8.7) to earn the silver medal in the age 7-8 all-around with a score of 35.475. In the event finals, she repeated her placements of the day before, and become the National Champion on balance beam (9.525) and floor exercise (9.425), and silver medalist on vault (9.075).

In the 9 to 10-year-old group, Morgan Scott qualified to event finals on three events by earning fifth on beam (9.35) and vault (9.05), and seventh on floor (9.475). In the finals she took eighth place on vault (8.8), and tenth on floor (9.175) and beam (8.675). In the same age group, Allison Dutcher earned tenth place on beam (9.2) in the preliminaries and sixth place (9.325) in the balance beam finals. Eleven-year-old Miranda Jones qualified to finals by taking fifth on floor (9.45) and bars (8.55). In finals she took bronze on bars (8.55) and fifth place on floor exercise (9.325). All four girls contributed to the ninth place team win.

Coach Kirby was pleased with the results. “We had a great showing at USAIGC Nationals this year with all the girls performing well and I couldn’t be happier.” He is assisted in coaching the team by Maria Garcia and Kassandra Bursch.

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