Published: January 25, 2010 07:00 pm      

Water's Edge kicks off 2010 season

Water's Edge Gymnastics kicked off their 2010 season with two invitational competitions, the Twistars Invitational Jan. 8-10 in Lansing and the Cereal City Classic Jan. 22-24 in Kalamazoo.

Water's Edge gymnasts, who compete in Levels 5-10, racked up a total of 72 medals between the two competitions, including 33 top three finishes.

Debi Danek competed in Level 7 in Lansing where she earned gold medals on vault and bars with scores of 9.0 and 9.1 respectively, a silver medal for her 9.25 floor exercise, a fifth place medal on balance beam, and a second place trophy for her all-around score of 36.0.

In Kalamazoo Danek moved up to Level 8 where her routines earned two gold medals for vault (9.275) and floor exercise (9.3). Danek also earned two silver medals for bars (8.7) and all-around (35.725).

Victoria Green and Liliya Burden put in gold medal performances at both Level 5 competitions. Green, the 2009 Level 5 state vault champion, continues to dominate taking the gold in Lansing (9.2) and in Kalamazoo (9.30). Green took five more medals during the competitions.

Burden pulled in a balance beam championship (9.0) in Lansing as well as a third place all-around trophy (35.55). She also earned four other medals for the two meets.

Lindsay Smith, Aurora Rozine, Briar Burden, Annie Hammond and Annaliese Froese also competed for the Level 5 team. Smith earned silver medals on vault and floor in Lansing and moved up to Level 6 for Kalamazoo where she earned eighth place on vault (9.0).

Rozine stood on the podium for her balance beam routine in Lansing (8.7). Burden, Hammond, and Froese all competed in their first Level 5 competition in Kalamazoo. Froese earned an 11th place medal for her vault (8.85).

Claire Moen took a silver medal on floor exercise in Lansing (8.825) as well as gold in Kalamazoo (9.0) in Level 6 competition. Moen pulled in a fourth place medal on vault (9.0), bronze medal on bars (8.3) and a fourth place medal all-around in Kalamazoo.

Holly Ryan and Hayley Peterson-VanZandt competed at the highest level of Junior Olympic competition, Level 10. Ryan was the Level 9 regional bronze medalist on balance beam last year as well as a 2009 National Team member. She put in solid performances at both invitationals which included a fourth place medal on balance beam in Lansing and four silver medals in Kalamazoo on vault, bars, floor exercise and all-around.

Peterson-VanZandt received bronze medals on bars, balance beam and all-around at the Twistars meet as well as three silver medals at the Cereal City meet on vault, balance beam, and all-around.

The Water's Edge Prep Optional team competed in the Silver and Platinum levels at both meets. Bailey Jacobs earned silver medals at both meets with scores of 8.9 and 9.3 in the Silver division. Also competing in the Silver division and winning 15 medals in Lansing and Kalamazoo were Annika Lintvedt, Chandler Tarrant, Anna Forcelle and Sierra Rancour.

Competing in the Platinum division were Alex Bondy and Allyson Schultz. Bondy stood on the silver podium for her bars and floor exercise in Kalamazoo and won two other medals in Lansing. Schultz placed fourth on vault in Lansing and took a gold for vault, silvers for bars and floor exercise, and a bronze all-around in Kalamazoo.

Water's Edge also had gymnasts attend the pre-5 Fun Meet at the Twistars Invitational. Briar Burden, Annaliese Froese, Annie Hammond, and Morgann Kanouse all earned ribbons for their performances which included six blue ribbons, eight red ribbons and two white ribbons. All four gymnasts received a medal in the all-around.