JORDYN WIEBER WINS NATIONAL ELITE TITLE |
| Talent is a starting point, but many athletes are talented. A great work ethic will plow a positive path towards success but many athletes have adopted that strategy. Desire and determination will separate the great athletes from the good ones, but once again there are seemingly countless inspired and motivated athletes at the elite level. What makes an ELITE NATIONAL CHAMPION? The answer is simple. It takes a fierce competitor with the ability to rise to the challenge when the green flag is raised. It takes a special combination of talent, desire, focus and day to day application of all 3. It takes an unmatched hunger to succeed. Jordyn Wieber exemplifies those traits and so much more. Jordyn Wieber became one of the youngest USA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS since Kim Zmeskal in 1989, by displaying consistently the ability to shine when it counts. Jordyn owned the CHAMPIONSHIPS of the USA in Boston where she outdistanced a very tough field by more than 1.5 points (simply remarkable considering this is a sport of tenths of a point). This is Jordyn’s third straight qualification to the USA National team, but winning the Jr. National All Around Title is something that will always highlight her career resume. This is a shining moment. The format for crowning the national champion includes 2 days of competition. After day 1 Jordyn held the lead by one tenth of a point over Samantha Shapiro (who many considered the odds on favorite). Samantha opened the door with a falter on floor exercise. Jordyn walked through that door and locked it behind her, nailing routine after routine and posting a 60.65. Her All Around title also included individual event titles on Vault-14.7/14.95 (where she was one of 2 juniors in the country to perform a double twist) and Floor 15.05/15.25. She also placed 2nd on Beam 15.15/15.45 and 3rd on Bars 15.05/15.0. Jordyn follows in the footsteps of such great Jr. National Champions as Shawn Johnson, Kim Zmeskal, Natasha Kelly, Nastia Liukin, Morgan White, all of which eventually earned Olympic or World Team positions for the USA Team. Jordyn has now etched her name in the USA record books in the company of gymnastics royalty. We are so proud of her, her accomplishments and most importantly the road she took to get there. |
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NATIONAL TEAM MEMBER – KAMERIN MOORE |
| Sometimes gymnastics gets tough. Sometimes even our most talented athletes experience bouts of doubt, and frustration. Sometimes they loose sight of their goals. It is not unusual to struggle with periods of lost inspiration and passion but it takes a special character to weather the storms when they insist on raining on our dreams. Kamerin Moore has that special character. A few weeks ago Kamerin flirted with the idea of retiring from the elite ranks. She briefly lost sight of the love she has for the sport. Briefly. Thankfully she had the support of well intentioned teammates, coaches and Mom to hold her up during this tough time. Well the passion is back, the desire in tact and Kamerin could not be happier with the results from the 2008 CHAMPIONSHIPS of the USA. This 12 year old from West Bloomfield placed 7th All Around and qualified to the USA Jr. ELITE NATIONAL TEAM. She absolutely glowed as she accepted her plaques, medals and flowers during the awards ceremony. She has weathered the storm and the sun is shining brightly now! Kamerin was the youngest competitor at last years Championship of the USA competition. Kami barely missed making the national team by .15 in an age division that included many 14 and 15 year olds. This year was different. Now the youngest member of the USA National team, that near miss is a distant memory. It seems that perseverance pays off. Highlighting her 2 day competition were her 3rd place finish on Balance Beam 14.55/15.05 and 4th place vault finish 14.35/14.4. Kamerin now looks forward to earning National Team assignments where she will represent the USA in international competition. It seems that the rewards are well worth the effort. Congratulations Kamerin! We are so very proud of you! |
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WE ARE AIR CONDITIONED
| RECREATIONAL BULLETIN
BOARD |
| SUMMER 2008 REC SCHEDULE-SUMMIT |
| SUMMER 2008 REC SCHEDULE-OUTLET MALL |
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Summer Recreational Schedules are now available on the web-site and at the Twistars office upstairs. The Summer Session runs from June 30th to August 23rd.
-Classes and Schedule have changed for the summer so be sure to check out the new schedule at the link above.
-Spring Session ends June 14th
-Summer Session begins June 30th
-Open Gym will continue through June 15th.
-Register now for Summer Recreational Camps - See the bulletin board in the Gym or pick up a flyer at the office.
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SHONDA ACCEPTS FULL RIDE TO N.I.U |
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One of the
toughest decisions facing our graduating seniors is
where to continue their education. Many aspects must
be considered. How far from home do they want to be,
what area of studies would they like to pursue, big
school, little school, in state or out of state,
related costs and for our athletes what the gymnastics
program has to offer. Choosing a University is not an
easy decision. Recently two of our 2008 graduates have
decided on their school of choice.
Shonda
Clore has accepted a full ride athletic
scholarship to Northern Illinois University where she will join their gymnastics program in the
fall. Shonda hopes to study education and N.I.U. has
an outstanding elementary and secondary education
program. Shonda has been turning heads in the
gymnastics community with some very strong All Around
performances this season. Northern took notice early
and jumped at the opportunity to sign Shonda. This
offer just goes to show that hard work and
perseverance does pay off. Shonda had an injury
plagued junior year and thus was not getting as much
attention from the college coaches as we had hoped,
but she kept plugging away, kept working hard and BAM…
a free education at a great school. Congratulations to
SHONDA and the entire Clore family. Shonda's decision comes on the heels of two other
Twistars seniors making their respective choices of
higher learning. |
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Grand Rapids native, Bre Talcott
accepted a preferred walk on offer from Hamline
University in Minnesota. The benefits of walk on
status are immense in that the athletes receive the
same benefits as all scholarship athletes…i.e.
tutoring, preferred scheduling, required study time,
preferred housing, and the honor of being part of a
collegiate varsity team. Bre has always been one of
the most determined and hard working athletes we have
ever had. It is good to see that effort pay off.
AND to review old news, last fall Mason Senior
Elizabeth Mahlich signed her full ride
athletic scholarship to the University of Florida
(currently the number one ranked gymnastics school in
the country). We are very proud of all of our seniors.
Great job ladies!
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