The Bahamas Gymnastics Federation (BGF) made history this summer as it competed in the Senior Pan Am Championships for the very first time August 25 to September 1 in Mississauga, a small town outside of Toronto, Canada.
The team consisted of three gymnasts: 20-year-old Simone Hall, 19-year-old Toneka Johnson and 17-year-old Kianna Dean. They were accompanied by coaches Trevor Ramsey and Alexandra "Muffy" Deal.
The trio, comprised of level eight and nine gymnasts, went up against some of the best in the world, as all of the other competitors were level 10 or elite level gymnasts.
Over 700 athletes from 24 nations around the Caribbean and the Americas competed in the event that served as a qualifier for the 2015 Pan American Games.
Although their squad was outclassed, BGF President Barbra Thompson said that she was pleased that her gymnasts chose to attend the prestigious event.
"I'm very proud of what they did, and I think the country should be very proud of them as well. They were competing against more experienced athletes, and even though they did not finish on top, they did well based on their level of training. I really wish I was there to see them in action," said Thompson.
Prior to the championships, the trio completed a two-week training program at Branch Gymnastics in Michigan. Coach Ramsey considers the past few weeks a real eye opening experience for the young women and hopes that it helps them going forward.
"I think that they did a very good job and handled themselves with the utmost professionalism, even though it was very challenging going against the high level athletes. I think this is the first competition of this level that they have attended, and now that they're back home after the experience, they can really analyze where they want to take their gymnastics careers. I personally hope that they continue to stick with it," said Ramsey.
The BGF does not know whether or not the athletes have been invited to the 2015 Pan Am Games as yet, as the announcement of the list of qualifiers will be made sometime in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the federation has shifted its focus to putting together both a junior and senior national team.
"Were putting these teams together to try and give our gymnasts as much opportunities as we can. The girls that competed serve as coaches as well in our Nassau Nastics program and we hope that they will serve as the leaders that the younger athletes look up to," said Thompson.
Ramsey said: "This has been a process that has been going for a while, and right now we are really close to getting it done. We should have a final word on this very shortly."
The gymnastics calendar will begin to pick up again in October, when Nassau Nastics begins its season. The club will also travel abroad to a few international competitions before the year is out.

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