The Los Alamos High Flyers Gymnastics Level 4 Girls team winning the 3rd place Team Trophy at the Rio Rancho competition, from left, Coach Svetlana Shurikhin, Aly Lppez, Cece Gulsby, Harmony Cutter, Lucy Meierbachtol, Ava Zadina, Grace Waters, Nina Gyrya, Zoie Romero and Coach David Vosburgh. Courtesy/LAHFG
SPORTS News:
The Los Alamos High Flyers competitive gymnastics teams are off to a great start this season. The competitive teams, comprised this year of 60 athletes ranging in age from 5 to 17, are collectively expected to compete in 19 competitions over the course of the competitive season.
The competitive teams include a new High Flyers Boys Team with seven students who competed for the first time in Albuquerque Dec. 14. The boys team is only one of four offered in New Mexico. The boys compete on six individual events: rings, pommel horse (mushroom), vault, floor, single bar, and parallel bars. Albuquerque was the first ever competition for the boys, who had a great experience and brought home a third-place trophy.
The girls’ competitive teams had a staggered start with Level 2 and 3 competing Dec. 14 in Santa Fe, Levels 4-8 competing last weekend in Rio Rancho, and the new Xcel Silver and Gold teams starting their season this weekend in Albuquerque.
The women’s optional team includes seven gymnasts this year competing Levels 6-10 and Xcel Platinum and Diamond. In addition to competitions in New Mexico, this group will be traveling to meets in Denver and Phoenix. Together with several Xcel Gold division gymnasts, these athletes have the opportunity to qualify for regional championships.
Graduating high school senior Jillian Lewis is competing in her final year in the Xcel Diamond division. She has been in gymnastics for 10 years and is looking forward to showing off a Yurchenko vault (roundoff-back handspring onto the vault table, back tuck off) this season.
All the women’s teams will be competing at the annual High Flyers Dreamcatcher meet Feb. 20-22 at the Santa Fe Convention Center including a group of 5-year olds competing for the first time in the Xcel Bronze division. The Dreamcatcher meet has more than 1,000 girls registered to compete this year representing 27 teams from New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado. The boys team will compete again in February in Albuquerque.