Posted 3:42 am Sunday, March 13, 2011
Texas East Gymnastics Wins 5 All-Around Titles
By CHRIS PARRY
Staff Writer
Texas East Gymnastics cleaned up during the Level 8-10 sessions of the Rose City Classic Saturday at UT Tyler's Herrington Patriot Center.
Competing in front of their home crowd, Texas East Gymnasts won five all-around titles, highlighted by Level 9 Jr. A, as TEG finished 1-2-3.
Whitehouse's Erin Odom, the oldest member of TEG at 16, overcame a fall on the uneven bars (8.6) to post stellar numbers in the vault (9.4), balance beam (9.2) and floor exercise (9.4) to finish as meet winner with 36.725.
“It's really exciting because you have a lot of people here from your hometown and the energy really pumps you up,” Odom said. “Vault has always been one of my strongest events, so I feel like I can really go for it.
“On the bars, that is a new skill that fell on that I got just right before competition season and I've been having some trouble with it. Since it's a new school, I wasn't really upset, Overall, I felt like I did really well at this meet.”
Drew Watson of Nacogdoches used a strong balanced beam score for her all-around win. Watson scored a 9.6 on beam to go along with solid scores in other events — 9.15 on vault, 9.175 on bars and 9.35 on floor — to total 37.275. In second was Samantha Craus of U.S. Gold with 36.225.
Watson began with a third place in vault and bars, but her beam routine outclassed everyone. With a series of turns, flips and most of all, balance, Watson stuck her dismount and couldn't hide her happiness when the 9.6 appeared.
“I felt really good and the crowd was just into it,” Watson said about her beam routine. “That's probably the best I've ever done. It was really, really solid.”
Texas East Gymnasts Emily McLemore, Sidney Dukes and Emily Rickman were injured and only completed in one event, the bars, where they displayed their prowess as McLemore won with 9,375, Dukes was in second with 9.350 and Rickman fourth with 9.1.
TEG dominated Level 9 Jr. A with Tyler's Sarah Shaffer taking top all-around honors with 37.475. Teammates Kortlyn Hill (36.325) and Savanna Maradiaga (35.725) were third and fourth. Shaffer's floor exercise put her over the top as the 13-year-old received a 9.450. Both Shaffer and Maradiaga took first in the bars with 9.525.
In the Level 9 Jr. B, Angela Rogers of Tyler proved to be the best as she won the all-around crown with 38.0, finishing two points ahead of second-place Alex Clem (36.0) of Richardson. Rogers swept all four events, scoring 9.45 on vault, 9.425 on bars, 9.65 on balanced beam and 9.475 on floor.
The shortest member of the team at 4-foot-1, Danica Abanto saved her best for last in the Level 8 Jr. A as the 12-year old from Tyler won the balanced beam (9.6) and floor exercise (9.55) during the final two rotations to vault from the middle of the pack into second place in the overall standings. Makayla Black of Gym Power House was all-around champion.
The meet concludes today with another all-day session featuring Level 5-7 gymnasts at Herrington Patriot Center.
Staff Writer
Texas East Gymnastics cleaned up during the Level 8-10 sessions of the Rose City Classic Saturday at UT Tyler's Herrington Patriot Center.
Competing in front of their home crowd, Texas East Gymnasts won five all-around titles, highlighted by Level 9 Jr. A, as TEG finished 1-2-3.
Whitehouse's Erin Odom, the oldest member of TEG at 16, overcame a fall on the uneven bars (8.6) to post stellar numbers in the vault (9.4), balance beam (9.2) and floor exercise (9.4) to finish as meet winner with 36.725.
“It's really exciting because you have a lot of people here from your hometown and the energy really pumps you up,” Odom said. “Vault has always been one of my strongest events, so I feel like I can really go for it.
“On the bars, that is a new skill that fell on that I got just right before competition season and I've been having some trouble with it. Since it's a new school, I wasn't really upset, Overall, I felt like I did really well at this meet.”
Drew Watson of Nacogdoches used a strong balanced beam score for her all-around win. Watson scored a 9.6 on beam to go along with solid scores in other events — 9.15 on vault, 9.175 on bars and 9.35 on floor — to total 37.275. In second was Samantha Craus of U.S. Gold with 36.225.
Watson began with a third place in vault and bars, but her beam routine outclassed everyone. With a series of turns, flips and most of all, balance, Watson stuck her dismount and couldn't hide her happiness when the 9.6 appeared.
“I felt really good and the crowd was just into it,” Watson said about her beam routine. “That's probably the best I've ever done. It was really, really solid.”
Texas East Gymnasts Emily McLemore, Sidney Dukes and Emily Rickman were injured and only completed in one event, the bars, where they displayed their prowess as McLemore won with 9,375, Dukes was in second with 9.350 and Rickman fourth with 9.1.
TEG dominated Level 9 Jr. A with Tyler's Sarah Shaffer taking top all-around honors with 37.475. Teammates Kortlyn Hill (36.325) and Savanna Maradiaga (35.725) were third and fourth. Shaffer's floor exercise put her over the top as the 13-year-old received a 9.450. Both Shaffer and Maradiaga took first in the bars with 9.525.
In the Level 9 Jr. B, Angela Rogers of Tyler proved to be the best as she won the all-around crown with 38.0, finishing two points ahead of second-place Alex Clem (36.0) of Richardson. Rogers swept all four events, scoring 9.45 on vault, 9.425 on bars, 9.65 on balanced beam and 9.475 on floor.
The shortest member of the team at 4-foot-1, Danica Abanto saved her best for last in the Level 8 Jr. A as the 12-year old from Tyler won the balanced beam (9.6) and floor exercise (9.55) during the final two rotations to vault from the middle of the pack into second place in the overall standings. Makayla Black of Gym Power House was all-around champion.
The meet concludes today with another all-day session featuring Level 5-7 gymnasts at Herrington Patriot Center.
