Passion, persistence, perspiration and patience in pursuit of excellence propelled Bahamas Star Gymnastics' (BSG) competitive squad to the top of the medal podium in a recent competition.
In their second appearance at the Tim Rand American Twisters Gymnastics Invitational, hosted in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, these "starlets" nailed a first place in the team division for Level 2, a fourth place in the Level 3 team division, and churned out brilliant individual results including several first place finishes among 12-13 other age division competitors, and inked personal best and season best results in the scorebooks for their club and country. All of the gymnasts scored above a 36 (of 40) which is unprecedented in the country's history of the sport in a single meet.
The "crowning" moment came when BSG's Level 2 team was announced as Team Division winners in the All-Around category. The supporting cast of Bahamians had already peaked emotionally when Soraya Halkitis, Kym-Benay Greene and Lauryn Stubbs swept the top three positions in the Uneven Bars segment.
"Of all of the events, Uneven Bars challenged our team most throughout this season and we basked in the moment of the three straight victories as affirmation of the hard work hammered out in the gym," beamed coach and co-chaperone Tenille Thompson. At the Magical Classic, BSG's Uneven Bars scores were uncharacteristically lower than expected (low 8.0 out of 10) and the coaches headed back to the drawing board with the 'Code of Points', dissected the routines and made adjustments. It just so happened that the same Uneven Bars judge at the Magical Classic also judged the gymnasts at Tim Rand, and the results, all 9.0 or higher, brought relief and celebration to the coaches and gymnasts.
Lauryn Stubbs has been dubbed "the comeback kid" of the season. She had taken a four-year absence from the sport and returned last summer as a new enrollee of BSG. Her journey faced some setbacks when she did not win a medal at the Atlantis Crown Gymnastics Invitational in December, her first competitive meet of the season. At her second meet, Tim Rand, Stubbs dug deep and finished second in All-Around (36.875 of 40). She was also second on Vault and third on Uneven Bars, Balance Beam and Floor Exercise.
Soraya Halkitis and Kym-Benay Greene, who had both earned second place All-Around titles at the Magical Classic in Orlando last month, rounded out the awards with a fourth and fifth place respectively. Stubbs' appearance at this meet allowed the gymnasts to qualify for the team division in which the top three scores counted. Together, their first place team award ignited the cheering squad with chants of "242" and "we are proud of you". Halkitis snagged a second place finish on Floor Exercise (9.3 of 10) and Balance Beam (9.375 of 10) to contribute an All-Around score of 36.675 to the winning team score. Greene dismounted the Uneven Bars to conclude a first place routine with a season and personal best of 9.40, and followed that with a third place finish on Floor Exercise (9.225 of 10). Graceful Greene's 36.40 (out of 40) All-Around score was the deal closer to claim the first place Team All-Around title. The Level 2 team also swept first place in the All-Around Team division on Uneven Bars, Balance Beam and Floor Exercise.
The Level 3 teammates of Aniyah Pratt and Summer Sturrup captured first place in their respective age divisions. Pratt, who won first place in Level 2 last season, eked out a season's best of 37.250 (out of 40) to double her victory in claiming back-to-back first place titles at this meet, a first time feat for any Bahamian gymnast. Chalking up first place finishes on Vault (9.55 of 10) and Floor Exercise (9.425 of 10) and second place on Balance Beam (9.225 of 10), Pratt placed her Level 3 team in medal contention. Sturrup won second place last year in Level 2 and improved to first place in her Level 3 age division this time. Bespectacled Sturrup vaulted again to a 9.60 highest season and country score, as at Magical Classic last month to solidify her place in the sport. With an All-Around score of 36.875 (out of 40), Sturrup's first place contributed handsomely to the team division's qualification.
Candace Murphy, Madisson Deveaux and Sanaa Saunders boosted the team's winning chances in the team division with second place on Vault and third place on Floor Exercise to seal the fourth place title for Level 3 in the All-Around Team standings. Murphy charted an opportunity in the team standings for her club with a 37.075 All-Around score, the highest for Level 3 for the country. Mesmerizing Murphy raised her team's chances for medal contention with a second place on Floor Exercise (9.350) and third place on Uneven Bars (9.225). Deveaux and Saunders ranked ninth and 10th respectively in their age divisions with All-Around scores of 36.175 and 36.025, thereby smashing all doubt that this team is the country's strongest compulsory level team. Both Deveaux and Saunders recorded their season's best and personal best in the All-Around division.
"This team of gymnasts attracted attention at every meet we attended and for the key reason that they displayed a high level of sportsmanship and competed with a great sense of national pride. They exceeded expectations and for their third meet abroad this season, made all of the corrections and adjustments to produce personal best and season best scores which is a victory itself. All of the medals and trophies are just icing on the cake of hard work," said Co-Head Coach Kachara Marshall. Marshall, who is an english language teacher at D.W. Davis, and has built a solid reputation for some of the best results on the Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) exam with mixed ability students, applies the same concepts which have secured successes for her in academics to sports.
"I don't get to hand-pick the students I teach or screen them as in the private schools so I have determined to pull the best out of every young person who is entrusted to my supervision. I started training and coaching gymnastics in 2010 when Bahamas Star Gymnastics opened its doors and apply principles of discipline and hard work to draw the best results from our squad of athletes, talented or not. I would never have dreamed back in 2010 that today the results would be so amazing and that our track record is one of constant improvement. The results from this season and especially this meet have motivated us to take the squad of athletes under our direction to new levels. Same core values repeating themselves as time honored principles."
Marshall teams up with Coach Idania Garcia-Stroud whose primary focus is on the development of the dance and artistic aspect of the sport. Adding to the equation in delivery of instruction is Coach Tenille Thompson, a former gymnast, whose contribution includes strengthening fundamentals and intensifying the conditioning levels in preparation for higher level skills. When asked whether the BSG gymnasts will likely qualify for the Olympics in future years, the coaching staff all respond, "God's will and time will tell."
Bahamas Star Gymnastics opened its doors on Bacardi Road in 2010 with its Starmania Summer Camp and has contributed to the hosting of the Atlantis Crown Gymnastics Invitational and other events such as coaches clinics which continue to improve the sports of gymnastics in the country. BSG will host its own meet, BGPBC-Bahamas Star Gymnastics Invitational, for the third consecutive year in late April.

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