Gymnasts return home with medals
BERMUDA’S gymnasts picked up a slew of medals in the St. Patrick’s Day Invitational Meet in Raleigh, North Carolina last weekend with the stars of the show being some of the youngest of the nine.And coach Michelle Strenk said the performance boded well for the next generation of athletes while proving invaluable experience for those preparing for the Island Games.
Bermuda is hoping to do even better than in Shetland Island Games two years ago where they won 36 out of the 40 medals.
The team flew out to Raleigh last Thursday, trained in the local gym on the Friday to polish off their skills, and then competed on the Saturday.
Strenk said the Island Games competitors who made the trip still had some kinks they need to work out.
But she added: “We are where we want to be at this stage.”
Of the Island Games competitors Amber Lopes, 10, won third place on beam and sixth in the all around. Rebecca Forgesson, 12, won fifth in the all around while Taylor Cleave, 11, won fourth on floor and bars and fifth in the all around. Helping the island Games trio was Andrea Burrows, nine, who was awarded fourth place on floor and seventh in the all around.
These four girls made up the Prep One team and returned home with a second place team trophy.
In the Prep Rookie division, Bermuda’s five-strong team took home the third place team trophy.
Coach Strenk said her international novices did much better than expected and they didn’t fall on any of the apparatus.
“They are the next generation,” said said.
Leading the pack was newcomer Corey Ford. The eight-year-old had a phenomenal meet, taking second place on bars and vault and third in the all around. Her bar score was 9.225 and her vault score was 9.2. “Pretty close to the perfect 10,” enthused Strenk.
Also scoring above a nine on vault were Zoe Wright, eight, and Jada Pearman, nine.
International newcomers Danielle Wall, seven, and Te-che Minors, eight, finished off the team of five, placing eighth and ninth respectively in the all around.
The squad travel to Niagra Falls in Canada for a May 5 meet which will give them another outing to brush up on their skills.
The trip is a replacement for the cancelled Trinidad and Tobago trip in April where the US was supposed to take on the Caribbean.
“They were awarded a cricket competition (the World Cup) so it got cancelled — we were pretty upset actually.
“But the Canada meet will be a great international competition to prepare them for the National in Florida in June and Island Games in July.”
