Fifteen gymnasts from the Bermuda Gymnastics Association (BGA) enjoyed success at the 28th Gasparilla Classic Gymnastics Invitational – one of the largest gymnastics meets held in the United States. Three female athletes and 12 male athletes competed in new levels during the competition held in St. Petersburg, Florida at the Tropicana Field Stadium (Home of Major League team, the Tampa Bay Rays), with 6 of the male athletes enjoying their first competitive gymnastics experience.
Berkeley student, 15‐year old Kinae Dowling, started the Bermuda team’s competition in USA Gymnastics (USAG) level 6 with cleanly executed routines, narrowly missing a top three placement with 4th on vault and 5th in the All Around. Ten‐year old Saltus student, Bailey Boyd, impressed the judges with her USAG level 6 Floor routine capturing 7th place and receiving podium recognition for 11th in the All Around. Ten‐year old Purvis student, Ella Tear, competed in the Excel Gold division earning 6th place on Bars and finishing in the top 10 with a score of 35.050.
Coach Maya Beckles said: “I am very proud of the gymnasts’ poise and focus while competing at one of their largest competition venues to date. They completed clean routines with some of them learning or adding new skills to their routine to ensure they put their best foot forward.
They should be very proud of their performance at such a high caliber competition”.
Leading the boys’ team, 12‐year old Warwick Academy student, Taj Lowery, competed USAG level 8 and received high placements on Floor and High Bar with 5th and 4th places respectively. His event placements helped him attain a 7th place in the All Around. In the level 5 session, 10‐year old Jordan Trimarchi earned podium status with a second place finish on Vault, which helped him earn fourth place in the All Around. Two eight‐year olds ‐ Jacob Madeiros and Ben Mello shared a fourth place finish on Vault with a tied score of 9.200. Both athletes enjoyed top 10 finishes on each event helping them to land 6th and 9th respectively in the All Around.
The USAG level 4 competitors rounded out BGA’s showing at the Gasparilla Classic, many of who were competing in their first gymnastics competition. Eight‐year old Tristan Robinson earned the team's first gold medal of the competition scoring a 10.6 on Parallel Bars, while 6‐year old, Arman Newton, earned two first place medals on Vault and on Rings. The level 4 athletes continued to fill the podium with a first place finish on vault by 7 year old Toby Madeiros, first place on Vault and third on High Bar by 7‐year old Christian Hanwell, and a third place finish on Floor by six‐year old Joseph Lau. Eight‐year old Dylan Sangster earned top ten finishes on 5 out of 6 events helping him earn 8th place in the all around. Six‐year old Gianluca Bortoli placed in the top 10 on three events narrowly missing a top 10 finish in the All Around, while 7‐year old Noah Forbes earned a fourth place finish on Vault and top 10 finishes on four more events.
With the support of their coaches, the competitors displayed impressive concentration and sportsmanship through a multitude of distractions (which included an isolated shooting incident at the hotel where the gymnasts were staying). Coach Magan kept the athletes on track and focused for their competition, while Coach Maya stepped up to ensure all team members were relocated to a new hotel for their last day. The BGA Executive Board is proud of the BGA staff for their constant dedication in support of the athletes and parents while travelling abroad for competitions, and celebrates their leadership during these unforeseen circumstances.
