MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- Starting with stretches that would make most adults cringe, children from the base gymnastics team here kicked off their usual Saturday practice at the Youth Activities Center Oct. 6 in preparation for upcoming competitions.
The dedicated gymnasts work for three hours at a time to improve their techniques and work out kinks in their routines.
After clearing a small running space to warm up their legs, the children did high knees, bounding, calf raises and leaps. At that point, they were ready to get started.
Youngsters used a vaulting buck to launch themselves into flips, landing feet first on mats. Then they performed their full routines, with the less-experienced gymnasts going last.
There are various levels of gymnasts ranging from level four, the easiest, to level 10, the most advanced.
“There are several different levels for people to be in,” said Jennifer Matsco, team coach. “We currently only offer levels four through seven, and each level builds upon its predecessor. Level four is mainly just to get the basics of gymnastics down and it goes on up until level 10. That is where the performers for the Olympics are. Another difference among the levels is that levels four through six compete in compulsory, exact routines where everyone performs the same routine for the judges; whereas levels seven through 10 perform optional routines where each routine is different and tailored to each child.”
The gymnasts ran to a vaulting pad, launching themselves into handstands and flinging themselves through the air, landing on a mat where they saluted one of their coaches acting as a judge.
After the vaulting portion, they moved to the uneven bars and performed routines. Up and around the poles they went, flying from one to the other in feats of fluid motion.
Again the level fours went last. Everyone on the team started at that level at some point.
“The children have to participate in most of their competitions and then qualify for the state competition 32 point or above average,” Matsco said. “If they make it to the state competition, they’ll move up to the next level for the next season.”
After all the gymnasts completed the uneven bars, they moved over to the balancing beam, which is only four inches wide.
While on the beam, they performed spins, dips, jumps, flips and vaults suitable for their experience level.
Tanya Haverly, the only level seven gymnast on the team, performed a back flip and landed on the beam with barely a flutter.
Once everyone was done at the beam, the gymnasts walked over to the floor to perform the last routine for their competitions.
With another practice under their belt, these young hopefuls are step closer to their next competition. But first, they’ll complete many more practices just like this one.