Perennial power house, Bahamas Star Gymnastics’ squad of athletes competing at the 2014 Magical Classic, delivered a twist of love on Valentine’s Day. Soraya Halkitis and Kym-Benay Greene mounted the podium in 2nd place in the All Around ranking for their respective age groups. Their Level 3 gymnasts also backed up their outstanding record with individual titles.
Young Halkitis who recently nailed a 1st place in the All Around Division for her Level 2 age group at the 2013 Atlantis Crown Gymnastics Invitational improved her score as she faced off against a larger group and more competitive gymnasts. Halkitis’ consistency and hard work in training are being rewarded handsomely. She medaled on all four apparatus at the Magical Classic and also posted her personal best on Balance Beam with a score of 9.425 (of 10).
Greene who also achieved her personal best high score on Balance Beam with a 9.45 (of 10) also medaled on individual events. Greene is a cross over athlete who is also turning heads in the tennis community with outstanding tournament action. With twinkling eyes and dimpled cheeks, Greene held the Bahamian flag alongside teammate Halkitis to put rival teams on notice that this dynamic duo will be back with more magic in the future. Along with other Level 2 teammates who were unable to travel, they reaffirmed their ranking after placing 3rd in the All Around Team division at the 2013 Atlantis Crown Gymnastics Invitational.
Caption: Soraya Halkitis (left) andKym-Benay Greene (right) placed 2nd in All Around in their respective age divisions at the 2014 Magical Classic. Photo courtesy of Bahamas Star Gymnastics.
Other team members who traveled to the Magical Classic included their Level 3 teammates who competed on Saturday. Some of the highlights included a 9.60 third place on Vault by Summer Sturrup and third place on Floor Exercise by Sanaa Saunders. Madisson Deveaux, Aniyah Pratt, Candace Murphy also impressed the judges with star studded performances. The Level 3 team also matched their Level 2 teammates in placing 3rd in the All Around Team division at the 2013 Atlantis Crown Gymnastics Invitational. Together, the Level 2 and Level 3 teams were the highest ranked Bahamian team at the 2013 Atlantis Crown Gymnastics Invitational and highest scoring individual events the 2014 Magical Classic.
Co-head coach Kachara Marshall and dance coach Idania Garcia-Stroud are to be commended for their leadership and disciplined coaching of the squad. “While there were a lot of nerves and on some apparatus the gymnasts had falls, we are so proud of them and look forward to even improving these scores over the rest of this season. The judging was tough, the competitors from other US clubs have been exposed to substantially more meets for the season than our gymnasts but our girls showed true heart and sportsmanship and delivered some strongly competitive results. Above all, they are having fun while representing our club and country”.
Bahamas Star Gymnastics opened its doors in 2010 with its Starmania Summer Camp and has contributed to the hosting of Atlantis Crown Gymnastics Invitational and other events such as coaches clinics which continue to improve the sports of gymnastics in the country.
