Local gymnasts compete at YMCA Nationals

With this year’s YMCA National Gymnastics Championship & Invitational just a short drive away in Green Bay, the YMCA of the Northwoods Club program decided to try its had at the nationwide event for the first time.

The results exceeded the team’s expectations. 

The squad recorded 10 individual podium finishes overall and finished 11th out of 19 clubs in the Xcel Platinum division. The team’s Gold squad came home 13th and the team’s Silver squad finished ninth.

The meet was contested over three days, June 26-28, at the Resch Expo Center in Green Bay. All of the YMCA of the Northwoods gymnasts took in Saturday’s competition.

“We’ve never competed at Nationals before but, with it in our backyard, we made it a goal to try to qualify,” coach Kristina Aschenbrenner explained. “The experience, it was unique. It was a lot of people. But not the same people that you see when you go to a Wisconsin YMCA meet — different faces and different types of gymnastics being performed. The atmosphere was super-positive. Everyone was excited to be there and it was a fun meet.”

Fourteen of the club’s gymnasts took part in the event, qualifying through events held over the last year — that group includes five members of the Rhinelander High School gymnastics team. 

    Rhinelander’s Alexis Smith, center, stands on the podium between Sheboygan’s Brynn Cleary, left and Allard Center’s (N.H.) Mackenzie Dobson after winning the vaulting competition in the Xcel Platinum Junior division of the YMCA Gymnastics National Gymnastics Championship & Invitational in Green Bay Saturday, June 28. (Submitted photo)
  

One of those gymnasts, RHS junior-to-be Alexis Smith, claimed gold in one of her best events — taking first her session of the Xcel Platinum Junior Division on the vault. Smith, a former WIAA state qualifier on vault, earned a 9.0 from the judges as she won that event by 0.05 points over Brynn Cleary, representing the Sheboygan (Wis.) YMCA. 

“It’s pretty crazy to think about how many girls there were there and the opportunity that all of us had to be there this year, and I am genuinely just so proud of myself to be able to call myself a champion,” Smith told the River News on Monday. “During warm-ups, I was actually very locked into my vault. I was thinking about everything that I could just do perfect to make my vault happen. Then I went and competed and it went just how I expected it to go and I was very happy.” 

That was one of two podium finishes for Smith, who also tied for seventh on the floor exercise (9.15). The YMCA of the Northwoods had three other podium finishers in the Platinum Senior Division. Karly Gillingham, a junior-to-be who missed the entire high school season due to a back injury, tied for third on the balance beam (9.0) and tied for fourth on the vault (8.925). Another junior-to-be, Emeline Hintz, was fourth on the uneven bars (8.35) and fifth on the floor exercise (9.225). A fourth junior-to-be, Samantha Aschenbrenner tied for seventh on the floor exercise (9.0) and narrowly missed the podium on balance beam, finishing ninth (8.525).

In the Xcel Gold Junior B division, Helina Gurskey tied for fourth on floor exercise (9.25) and was eighth on the balance beam (8.775). Taylynn Senoraske was seventh on the vault in Xcel Silver Junior A (9.075).

Coach Aschenbrenner said the squad did will despite carrying few expectations going into the meet — given that it had been more than two months since the team’s last competition. 

“If you think about it we ended our season back in April at Badger State, really. So none of the high schoolers had done any gymnastics until the summer started,” she said. “We were going in just to have a fun meet and to try to do the best that we can — but to have a fun meet. The girls, they were right up there with all of the competitors. It was fun to watch.

“Even the girls that didn’t hit the podium, they had some routines that were right up there.”

Gillingham led the team in Xcel Platinum senior, placing 10th in the individual all-around (33.625). Hintz finished 11th (33.625) and Samantha Aschenbrenner was 18th (31.9).

“Our platinum girls on floor, we just went out there and they balled (out). They just performed. It was fun to watch,” coach Aschenbrenner said. “They all hit their routines. Some placed, but I mean every one of them hit their routines and it was just a really good feeling. When we left floor we’re like, ‘Yup, we had a good meet.’ That was worth it right there just to perform.”

Eliza Halada led the Xcel Platinum junior group, tying for 15th in the all-around (32.85). RHS sophomore-to-be Addison Fish was 18th (32.25) and Smith finished 19th (32.05).

    Members of the YMCA of the Northwoods Gold team pose for a photograph during the YMCA Gymnastics National Gymnastics Championship & Invitational in Green Bay Saturday, June 28. Pictured, from left to right, are Holly Novak, Rachel Bidell and Helina Gurskey. (Submitted photo)
  

Holly Novak led the YMCA of the Northwoods in Xcel Gold Junior B, taking 14th in the all-around (34.225), led by a ninth-place showing on the uneven bars. Gurskey was 15th in the all-around (34.2) and Rachel Bidell was 23rd (31.45).

Senoraske led the YMCA of the Northwoods in the Silver Junior A category, taking 19th in the all-around (34.525), Briar Grill was 20th (34.50) and Autumn Stockwell was 24th (32.725). Isabella Flory was 23rd in the all-around in Xcel Silver Junior B (33.325) and Amelia Rosemark took 24th (32.325).

    Members of the YMCA of the Northwoods Silver team pose for a photograph during the YMCA Gymnastics National Gymnastics Championship & Invitational in Green Bay Saturday, June 28. Pictured, from left to right, are Briar Grill, Autumn Stockwell, Amelia Rosemark, Taylynn Senoraske and Isabella Flory. (Submitted photo)
  

“We have three girls that this is their first year competing ever — Taylynn, Briar and Autumn — and to be able to go through the whole season and qualify and then end their season at Nationals is an awesome experience for them as well,” coach Aschenbrenner said. 

The meet highlights began on the eve of the competition during opening ceremonies, which featured a keynote address from 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver-medalist Jordan Chiles. 

“It was amazing. It was so cool, and we were so close to her, and she was so inspirational. It was awesome,” Smith said, noting that Chiles’ primary message involved having fun while keeping competition in the proper perspective. “With that kind of stuff, sometimes it is OK to have fun rather than being so uptight about competition and stuff. That was the biggest thing with, Kristina telling us, our coach. She was just like, ‘Have fun. It’s a great experience. It’s a great opportunity, and just take everything in.’”

According to information provided by the YMCA in its event guide for the event, last weekend’s nationals drew nearly 1,800 participants representing 78 different clubs from 16 different states. The event was first held in Detroit in 1938 and this year marked the fifth occasion that the national championships have been held in Wisconsin — all in the last 21 years. 

“It was a lot to take in, to say the least. We had a lot of fun. There was a lot of things for us to do,” Smith said. A lot of that activities were more like directed towards younger kids, but there were a lot of older kids there too, and my team kind of got to bond together with each other. Then we also got to meet new people from different areas. In our rotation, there was girls from New Jersey and we got to know them and it was an awesome experience.” 

Coach Aschenbrenner said with the competition out of the way until this coming fall, the team is eager to meet back in the gym and work on improving its skills. 

“All three levels of the girls were like, ‘Oh when we get back in the gym, I want to work on flyaways,’ or, ‘I want to work on this,’ or, ‘I want to get this skill.’ So they were super excited to get back in the gym and start working new things,” she said. “So it definitely was an energizer and a positive end of the official competitive season. They’re ready to get back in the gym, learn some new skills and get back in there.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].