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Category: Gymnastics

  • Rampart’s Cierra Babb stands out on final day of state gymnastics meet

    THORNTON — Cierra Babb broke new ground for Rampart gymnastics on Saturday.

    During the individual apparatus finals for Class 4A and 5A at Thornton High School, the sophomore claimed state championship No. 1 for the Rams by winning the 4A balance beam. Her score of 9.600 was enough to inch past Standley Lake’s Rachel Cody (all-around champion Friday) and her 9.575.

    “I just couldn’t be more proud,” Rampart coach Rose Pennington said. “I can’t wait to take it back to the school. It makes me very proud to know that I have a state champion on my team.”

    Before her routine, Babb received a pep talk from a Rampart assistant with quite the athletic background. Raquel Pennington, Rose’s daughter, is a UFC fighter but has been around gymnastics her entire life.

    “One thing I really try to get across to the girls is just to go out there and have fun,” the professional athlete said. “As nervous as they were, I told them to go out there and just embrace the moment. Let your skills shine and that’s what Cierra did.”

    Babb also garnered a silver medal in the uneven bars, posting a 9.000 for second place behind Green Mountain’s Emily Graham (9.200).

    “It was pretty exciting getting second also,” she said. “I did the skills I do in practice and did well. It means a lot representing my school well.”

    And so, Rampart etched their name in the record books for the first time in gymnastics with an individual champion. The program accomplished another feat, as well.

    “Rampart gymnastics has been around a long time,” Rose Pennington said. “We co-oped with all the schools two years ago and we called it D-20. This is the first time ever that we came to state as a team. It’s been a great weekend.”

    The Rams finished sixth on Friday in the 4A team standings. On top of that, Gabby Peltier picked up a bronze in the uneven bars (8.900) on Saturday, while Shea Kagarise earned her place on the podium by grabbing fifth in the bars (8.825).

    On an evening that saw Jefferson County schools nearly sweep the 4A and 5A individual event finals across the board, Babb was an exception. As was Niwot senior Alexis Carroll.

    Carroll only needed one chance in the vault to claim the gold medal in 4A with a score of 9.600. She ran too hard on her second attempt, turning off to the side at the end, but her initial run-through was a winning one.

    “It wasn’t something that I was expecting,” the senior admitted. “I realized I had a shot at it after I had some good warm-up turns and had some good vaults yesterday. It was like a cherry on top. It surprised me.”

    Carroll, reflecting on her second go-round, had to have a good laugh about it.

    “On my second vault I just ran too hard and kind of smashed into the table,” she said. “I sort of just bailed it. But I was like, “Well, my first one was good. There’s a reason we get two.”

    The Cougar went out on top in her final opportunity to do so, adding to a rich gymnastics tradition at Niwot.

    Overland’s Christine Yee tallied a 9.75 to earn 5A honors in the floor exercise and become the first Trailblazer to win an individual final since Devin Bundas (2014, uneven bars).

  • Jeffco teams stand out during state gymnastics meet

    Green Mountain and Pomona gymnastic teams poised with their team titles at the conclusion of the state meet Saturday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
    Green Mountain and Pomona gymnastic teams poised with their team titles at the conclusion of the state meet Saturday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    THORNTON — The state gymnastics meet belonged to Jeffco in 2016.

    The three-day meet wrapped up Saturday night with Jeffco teams grabbing five of eight individual event final titles.

    “I think we have really stayed strong as gymnastics programs in Jeffco,” Pomona coach Tracey Boychuk said at the conclusion of the meet at Thornton High School “The Jeffco coaches are unlike any other group of coaches. We are very close and we support each other’s girls. Our programs are big and they are strong.”

    The five individual event titles added on to the haul of team titles won by Pomona (Class 5A) and Green Mountain (Class 4A), along with all-around titles claimed by Pomona sophomore Brooke Weins (5A) and Standley Lake junior Rachel Cody (4A) on Thursday and Friday.

    “I think it says a lot about Jeffco in general,” said Cody, who finished top four in the 4A vault, beam and floor Saturday night. “It’s awesome to say I was in Jeffco during this time when it was so strong.”

    Standley Lake junior Rachel Cody during her floor performance Saturday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
    Standley Lake junior Rachel Cody during her floor performance Saturday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Green Mountain moved down a classification this year and cruised to the 4A team title. Camille Dipaola, Emily Graham, Mya Sinha, Hayley Upson and Morgan Maddox all finished in the top eight for the Rams in the individual all-around. It was the first team title for Green Mountain since 2008. Cody was able to defend her all-around title edging the pack of Rams right behind her.

    Dipaola (floor) and Graham (bars) both took home more hardware winning individual events Saturday. Sinha and Maddox had strong second- and third-place finish in the vault.

    Dipaola said one of the reasons why Jeffco gymnastics is so strong right now are the club gyms in the area, but she likes the dedication she has seen during the high school season.

    “It’s kind of nice to see all the girls come together in a high school setting,” Dipaola said. “We are team orientated. It’s awesome to watch them.”

    Sandi Patterson, along with her assistant coach and husband Dan Patterson, coached Green Mountain’s gymnastics team one last time Saturday. The two are stepping down to support their three sons and their activities.

    “It’s definitely hard to walk away, but you don’t get that time back with your kids,” said Patterson, who coached the Rams for 20 years. “Someday, hopefully, we’ll be back.”

    Pomona was able to go back-to-back by repeating as the 5A team champions Thursday. Weins captured the individual all-around title for the Panthers. Last year, Weins finished second to teammate Kelsey Boychuk, who won back-to-back all-around titles in 2014 and 2015.

    While Boychuk fell short of the three-peat, she was happy Weins was able to keep the individual all-around title in the Pomona family.

    “I’m not disappointed,” Boychuk said after defending her title in the individual vault final Saturday night. “Brooke earned it. She works just as hard as anyone else. She earned it.”

    Pomona sophomore Brooke Weins during her floor routine Saturday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
    Pomona sophomore Brooke Weins during her floor routine Saturday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Weins added the individual beam title to her resume edging Lakewood’s Amber Boll. The Tigers’ top gymnast had an outstanding meet winning the bars with a graceful routine Saturday tonight after placing second in the 5A all-around Thursday.

    “The team support really helps when you have a good team you are able to bond with them,” Weins said. “When you are about to preform and your whole team is cheering for you it makes it easier.”

    With Pomona and Green Mountain both winning team titles, it was the first time Jeffco has been able to do that since 2008 when Green Mountain won the 5A and Evergreen took the 4A title.

    “It’s being lacking the last few years, at least our dominance in these types of meets. It was really exciting to see Jeffco on top,” Coach Boychuk said. “Sandi and I had talked early in the season that it would be awesome to get Jeffco back on top of the podium in both classifications.”

    Pomona senior Annabel Spence was an example of the toughness of gymnasts. According to Coach Boychuk, Spence has a broken bone in her back, but wanted to finish out her final year participating at state despite the pain over the last month.

    The Panthers have a shot to win three state team titles next year. It would be the first time a Jeffco team has won a string of multiple team titles since Bear Creek won four straight from 1974 to 1977.

    Patterson finished her stint at Green Mountain guiding the Rams to state titles in 2006, 2008 and 2016.

    “I think it’s about great people,” Patterson said of the success in Jeffco. “The gymnasts are great. The coaches are awesome. The people support us in the district office. It’s hard not to be successful when you have all of that.”

    Green Mountain gymnasts cheer on Camille Dipaola during her vault Saturday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
    Green Mountain gymnasts cheer on Camille Dipaola during her vault Saturday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

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  • Photos: Day 3 of the state gymnastics competition was held Saturday

    THORNTON — The final day of the state gymnastics competition was held on Saturday with Rampart’s Cierra Babb highlighting the day.

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  • State gymnastics results: 4A team and individual all-around

    THORNTON — Complete results from the 2016 Class 4A state gymnastics team and individual all-around competitions.

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    Team

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    Individual

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  • Green Mountain gymnastics claims 4A championship

    (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
    (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

    THORNTON — Sandi and Dan Patterson, take a bow as you exit the stage.

    The wife and husband tandem at Green Mountain (Sandi is the head coach and Dan an assistant) is in their final weekend with the Rams before retiring from the coaching ranks.

    Two decades. Three state championships. One all-around individual winner.

    The Pattersons have been around the block, circling it twenty times, and picking up pieces of hardware along the way. On Friday evening at the Class 4A state gymnastics meet at Thornton High School, the couple added their third and final team trophy as Green Mountain (182.300 points) surpassed Niwot (177.775) and Elizabeth (176.625) on their way to a state title.

    Entering the final meet of the Colorado season, the top candidates for the state championship seemed obvious. The trio had, after all, tallied the leading scores with ease at the regional meets last week. Green Mountain (177.675), Elizabeth (176.725) and Niwot (175.4) were the only ones to post over 170 points.

    Niwot was the defending champion. Elizabeth has three state crowns and four runner-ups since 2009. But neither could top Green Mountain on this night.

    “I don’t even have words,” Sandi Patterson said. “It’s the fairytale ending. It’s the perfect way to go out that you dream about, but it usually doesn’t happen. I’m just so overwhelmed.”

    And, the final tally was decisive. While Standley Lake junior Rachel Cody (37.000) defended her all-around individual state championship, the Rams had the next four finishers. Camille Dipaola (36.875), Emily Graham (36.575), Mya Sinha (36.525), and Hayley Upson (36.450) all had outstanding showings.

    The team, as a whole, got started on the right path from the beginning with a strong performance in their second event, the balance beam (45.65).

    “I have to say the most awesome thing was we hit six-for-six on beam, which we have been unable to do all season,” Patterson said excitedly. “We magically saved it for state and we got our highest score on beam. That was the highlight for me.”

    The promising early stages of the meet gave Green Mountain a 92.225-89.7 advantage over Niwot through the first two events. They kept the momentum flowing from there.

    Stepping down a class after placing 10th as a team in 5A last year, Green Mountain had a vision for 2016.

    “We knew we would be going to 4A and we knew we would be having all of our (state) returners coming back,” Patterson said. “They said, ‘We’re going to go for it next year.’ They worked in the offseason, they worked over the summer. I love that everybody always gives the coaches credit, but it was them.”

    It proved to be a perfect recipe for a Ram team that provided Patterson with her third state crown as a coach. Green Mountain also won 5A in 2006 and 2008.

    The program has now won four championships overall and, interestingly enough, their coach has been involved in some fashion in every one of them. Patterson was a member of the 1992 team that won 6A-5A.

    “It’s been pretty much my life,” she said. “I’m a Ram at heart. It’s in my blood. This is just extra special. It’ll be hard to leave.”

    As for the all-around competition, Cody wasn’t entirely sure if she had pulled it off. Not necessarily a total standout in one particular event, the junior is simply solid in every discipline.

    “Our whole team, we usually hold pinkies when they announce team awards,” she said. “They were like, ‘Do it for Rachel.’ It was really cool. I was freaking out.”

    Cody’s winning margin last season was 36.625-36.175 over Elizabeth’s Lexye Wood. Although she bettered her tally from 2015 with a 37.000, the competition was even stiffer with Dipaola posting a 36.875. Cody had scores of 9.075 (fourth) in uneven bars, 9.200 (fifth) in balance beam, and 9.225 (third) in floor. What may have pushed her to the top was the vault.

    “I always tell my teammates I’m mostly an all-around gymnast,” she said. “I’m good at everything, but I’m not super, super amazing at one thing. But vault was amazing tonight. I got the highest score I’ve ever gotten.”

    Cody’s 9.500, the second best mark of the evening behind only Green Mountain’s Mya Sinha (9.550), sealed back-to-back state championships.

    “I’m super honored,” she said. “It’s the most amazing feeling ever. I love it.”

    The state gymnastics championships resume on Saturday at 4 p.m. Individual event champions in both 4A and 5A will be crowned.

  • Photos: 4A state gymnastics team and individual all-around competition

    THORNTON — Green Mountain came away as the big winners at Day 2 of the state gymnastics meet, which was held on Friday.

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  • Pomona repeats as 5A gymnastics team champion

    (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
    (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

    THORNTON — As gifted as many of the Class 5A crews are again in 2016, the state gymnastics meet proved to be a two-horse race in the team competition.

    Overland, winners of four of the past seven crowns, was hoping to reclaim their perch atop the mountain. The Trailblazers had the necessary depth to overcome the loss of injured state regulars like McKenna Turbyne (fifth in 2015 all-around competition) and Madie Venegas. Overland was unbeaten entering day one of the state meet at Thornton High School, the deciding evening in the 5A team and individual all-around competitions.

    Pomona, meanwhile, was coming off a historic 2015 state meet. They claimed title No. 1 in girls sports for the school by shattering the all-classification record for points with 190.925. Junior Kelsey Boychuk won the all-around championship her first two seasons for the black and scarlet.

    Despite a close contest, the Panthers doubled the titles and doubled the fun for the second straight year. The team tally for points was Pomona 187.700 and Overland 185.875, while a different Panther in Brooke Weins claimed the all-around state championship.

    After a season marked by injuries to several top competitors, Pomona finally had their entire varsity lineup for last week’s regional meet and for the state championships.

    “It was a little closer than last year,” Panther coach Tracey Boychuk said, knowing that Overland and Broomfield (third, 182.575) would challenge. “We’ve had injuries on and off. It’s been one of those up-and-down years. But the girls really wanted it and they fought hard for it.”

    Through two of four events, Pomona held a mere 92.55-92.375 advantage over the Trailblazers. Then the vault happened. Tallying a terrific 48.325 for the five competitors, the Panthers started to gain separation on Overland, who still had a sterling 47.1 in the event.

    A star-studded group was intact just in time for state — injuries to the likes of Kaylie Berens, who missed a couple of weeks with an ankle injury, and Boychuk, who sprained her foot and missed three weeks — didn’t derail Pomona’s quest for another 5A crown.

    But it certainly may have played a role in Boychuk’s pursuit of a third all-around title. Sophomore Weins, the runner-up by a tenth of a point last season (38.825-38.725), finished with a total of 38.925 for the win. Lakewood’s Amber Boll was second at 38.275, while Berens (37.975) and Boychuk (37.775) finished third and fourth.

    Weins was first in the uneven bars (9.750) and the balance beam (9.725), while finishing second to Boychuk in the vault (9.875-9.850) and third in floor exercise (9.600). It all added up to an all-around crown, but it didn’t come without some nerves.

    “Beam was last and I was freaking out,” Weins said. “I was like, ‘I can’t fall, I can’t fall.’ But I told myself that I’m a beautiful gymnast and that I’m here because I’m good. I felt like I was shaking the whole time, but I stayed on and ended up getting a 9.725.

    “I’m glad I could do this with my team. It’s an adrenaline rush. I don’t really know what to feel right now.”

    The elder Boychuk, the mother of Kelsey, says the junior was more excited about the team accomplishment than any disappointment about coming up a little short in the all-around. And, she had dealt with a difficult setback with her foot.

    “Kelsey and Brooke have been friends and teammates for a long, long time and they are always very happy for each other,” Boychuk said. “They like to see each other do well. Kelsey didn’t have her best meet tonight, but I think now for next year the pressure is off and she can come back and hopefully place high again. But fourth place is still pretty good.”

    Ranked No. 1 in 5A in football, Pomona is off to another promising start athletically after winning state crowns in wrestling and boys track during the 2015-16 school year. Yes, times are good for the Panthers. They have now won nine overall state championships in their history and the gymnastics team continues to break new ground on the girls side.

    “The school is very excited for us,” Boychuk said. “The only other team to go back-to-back was wrestling (2000, 2001), so it’s nice to be able to talk about our gymnastics team as being the same caliber as our wrestling team. The excitement has kept us going. Pomona is very supportive. The teachers and the students and the parents, it’s an amazing community.”

    The gymnastics state championships will resume at Thornton at 4 p.m. on Friday when the 4A team and individual all-around winners will be decided. The top 15 finishers of each event Thursday advanced to Saturday’s individual discipline finals.

  • State gymnastics results: 5A team and individual all-around

    THORNTON — Complete results from the 2016 Class 5A state gymnastics team and individual all-around competitions.

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    Team

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    Individual

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  • Photos: The first day of the state gymnastics competition

    THORNTON — The first day of the state gymnastics competition was held on Thursday and Pomona came away with the Class 5A team title.

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  • List of qualifiers to the 4A and 5A state gymnastics meets

    AURORA — The 2016 state gymnastics meet is this weekend.

    Use the menu below to navigate through a complete database of qualifiers.

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