You may not have heard about them, but once you see them, you'll never forget them.
They are small, powerful, tough, talented and determined. They can do an average of 32 push-ups in 30 seconds, flip (and land) on a four-inch wide surface and explain how to transfer horizontal speed into height.
Did I mention most of them are under 10 years old?
They are the competitive team at Burbank's Golden State Gymnastics and they just proved exactly how strong they are at this past weekend's Eastern Conference Preliminary Qualifier in Corona.
Most impressive was the gymnasts' "Beam Sweep." Of all eight girls who competed throughout the weekend, six placed first on balance beam, and two placed second and third behind their own teammates!
Other notables:
Golden State's Level 4 team placed second with a six-member team only to be beat out by an 18-member team from San Diego.
First place All-Around honors, in Level 4, were captured by Golden State Gymnasts in three of the four age groups entered.
Allyson Jessen, 10, received career-highs on uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.
Emma Bailey, 8, received the first score of 9 (9.075) of her career.
Danielle Levy, 12, received a career-high balance beam score of 9.2.
Rose Quezada, 9, received the highest All-Around score of the competition (all age groups) and career-highs on uneven bars and floor exercise.
Sarah Higuera, 9, received her highest floor exercise score of the season.
Kayla Anderson, 8, received her first score of 9 (9.05) on balance beam.
Emma O'Mara, 7, received a career-high on balance beam.
Isis Glaude, 8, received a career-high score in floor and judges quoted as having "the best beam mount of the competition."
The gymnasts, coached by
Nicole Langevin and
Whitney Nevill, train between 12-20 hours per week and travel all over California and the country to compete.
"There is no off-season in gymnastics; these girls keep up this training schedule all year long," says Langevin.
And what does this training entail? A typical practice includes an hour of conditioning [pliometrics, cardio, weight and resistance training], about 30 minutes of flexibility, basics, and 40-50 minutes of event training on each of the four events [Vault, Bars, Beam, and Floor]. Oh yeah, and let's not forget the 2 hours of dance per week and monthly in-house "mock meets."
If you're wondering what "basics" entails, Langevin explains that "Each gymnast is expected to be able to hold a 90-second handstand on the balance beam, a rope climb without using their legs, walk on their hands across the length of the 42-foot. floor mat , performthree to five back handsprings in a row and cast to a handstand on the bar."
Boasting two state floor champions in the past two seasons (
Lily Pollack, Level 7 and
Jordan Goldberg, Level 9), Golden State Gymnastics is a non-profit facility convenient to the Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena communities.
They have been helping athletes achieve excellence in both recreational and competitive gymnastics since 1973.
To learn more about Golden State Gymnastics, visit
www.goldenstategym.com