MONROE - Lizzy Brennan may have started gymnastics late as an eighth-grader, but her love for the sport has stood the test of time.
She has developed calluses that come with swinging on the bars, and she has hit her head while doing a back flip off the balance beam. It all comes with the territory of being a gymnast.
"You just can't let it spook you," Brennan said of hitting her head. "You just have to get up and keep trying. You need oodles of upper body strength.
"I'm a little old for the sport," the Monroe High School sophomore said. "In my opinion, I would say gymnastics is an undervalued sport."
Brennan is part of the Green County Gems Xcel-Platnium level gymnastics team, which won a team championship Saturday. Three other levels of Gems gymnasts also won team trophies at the "Stars of the Future" gymnastics meet: Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3.
There were about 150 gymnasts competing on the uneven bars, vault, balance beam and on the floor at the meet, hosted by the Green County YMCA. The proceeds from the meet go to the Green County YMCA Gymnastics program, and Dawn Lederman, the gymnastics program director, said she hoped to raise about $4,000. The YMCA recently purchased uneven bars for about $8,000 and had them installed in December in time for the meet.
Lederman was ecstatic by the success of the program.
"We have never done this before," Lederman said of winning four team trophies. "It's a huge accomplishment."
Brennan finished first place on the beam and the floor. Josie Eberle, also a sophomore at Monroe, finished first place on the beam, first on the bars and first in the all-around competition for Level 8 gymnasts. She added a second place on the uneven bars.
Eberle was excited to land a back hand spring off the beam after coming out of a back walk.
"It's the first meet this season that I have connected it," Eberle said. "It's pretty exciting. I was just excited to stay up there because I always fall."
The complete results were not available at press time, but will run in Tuesday's paper.
She has developed calluses that come with swinging on the bars, and she has hit her head while doing a back flip off the balance beam. It all comes with the territory of being a gymnast.
"You just can't let it spook you," Brennan said of hitting her head. "You just have to get up and keep trying. You need oodles of upper body strength.
"I'm a little old for the sport," the Monroe High School sophomore said. "In my opinion, I would say gymnastics is an undervalued sport."
Brennan is part of the Green County Gems Xcel-Platnium level gymnastics team, which won a team championship Saturday. Three other levels of Gems gymnasts also won team trophies at the "Stars of the Future" gymnastics meet: Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3.
There were about 150 gymnasts competing on the uneven bars, vault, balance beam and on the floor at the meet, hosted by the Green County YMCA. The proceeds from the meet go to the Green County YMCA Gymnastics program, and Dawn Lederman, the gymnastics program director, said she hoped to raise about $4,000. The YMCA recently purchased uneven bars for about $8,000 and had them installed in December in time for the meet.
Lederman was ecstatic by the success of the program.
"We have never done this before," Lederman said of winning four team trophies. "It's a huge accomplishment."
Brennan finished first place on the beam and the floor. Josie Eberle, also a sophomore at Monroe, finished first place on the beam, first on the bars and first in the all-around competition for Level 8 gymnasts. She added a second place on the uneven bars.
Eberle was excited to land a back hand spring off the beam after coming out of a back walk.
"It's the first meet this season that I have connected it," Eberle said. "It's pretty exciting. I was just excited to stay up there because I always fall."
The complete results were not available at press time, but will run in Tuesday's paper.
