FARMINGTON, Mo. — 350 gymnasts. Seven states. Midwest Regionals medals at stake.
The Wright Gym Classics represented Blytheville quite well over the weekend against some stiff competition, with several of the local gymnasts gracing the podium and bringing back hardware for their outstanding performances.
“The host team Parkland Gymnastics transformed the Farmington Civic Center into a gymnastics paradise,” said Kleesha Windle, who along with Pam Wright and Madison Wright coaches the Wright Gym competitors. “The gymnasts were greeted with friendly staff, brand new Speith equipment, excellent judging, and awesome awards ceremony.”
Each gymnast received a competitor t-shirt and souvenir patch. Midwest Regionals represented a total of seven states with over 23 gymnastics clubs.
“We saw gymnasts from Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and The Wright Gym Classics, the only Arkansas team,” Windle said. “Each session was packed with talent reaching over 70 gymnasts per session vying for those top spots. At the Midwest Regionals, only the top 50 percent in each age category is awarded in placement for the individual events and all-around.”
The competition for The Wright Gym Classics kicked off with the Excel Gold team competing on Saturday afternoon.
For many of the local Excel Gold gymnasts it was their final time performing.
“The Excel Gold team is a team like no other,” Windle said. “These are girls who I have worked with for years, and who I have grown very close to. I remember coaching these girls through their first cartwheels, their first series on floor, their first vault over the vault table, their first acro series on beam, and breaking in their first pair of grips on bars.”
“I remember teaching them how to properly show presentation in their fingers, how to maintain control throughout their entire body while performing, how to dance on a 4 inch beam as if walking on the floor, how to dig deeper inside for the results needed,” she continued. “ I remember so much. I remember all of our practices where each Excel gold member taught me something. Grace (Glintborg) taught me that sometimes I just needed a hug. She would hug me out of the blue and I would instantly forget my frustration and feel loved. A hug can change so much in a person and for a person. I pray that Grace never loses sight of her gift to love others!”
Windle said Marissa Cowden taught her “what absolute strength and determination looks like.”
“Marissa never gave up and just wouldn’t allow me to spot her on a troubled skill,” Windle said. “ She was pure strength and a blessing to our team. Hailey (Hopper) taught me to never give up on anything or anyone. Just when I thought I was out of ideas or the practice was a wash out, Hailey would have a break through and restart my engine. Hailey is very strong willed and we learned together how to make a great team and get skills accomplished. Hailey had her own love language and once we figured that out, we were on a fast track to progress. I have seen Hailey grow into such a beautiful soul who knows what is best for her and loves people for who they are. Never leave the same way you came, right Hailey!”
She said Jadyn Orton has been “a gymnast of spirit” and is a joy to coach.
“Her attitude is infectious and she would do or say anything to lighten the mood,” Windle said. “Jadyn was the loudest motivator on our team and made sure everyone smiled, even me. Jadyn taught me to take the time to stop coaching and just laugh with the group. She was never one bit shy to give us the perfect “How Not to Do Mrs. Kleesha’s Drill” moments. She had us laughing till we cried at practice. Jadyn brought pure joy and entertainment to our team.”
Liz Brasfield, who is the lone returning Excel Gold gymnast, has reminded Windle of the excitement and pure joy of just being a gymnast.
“She breathes gymnastics and being part of her journey has been the daily refresher I need,” Windle said. “ Liz is always the first one to try out my crazy drills. She is fearless on attempting new skills. Although I am losing everyone after this season except Liz, I am so excited to see the new journeys each gymnast will take and I am very excited to continue on with Liz pushing her even harder to the next level. Liz is about to find out what she is really capable of. I would always tell the girls I wish they could see themselves perform through my eyes. I always saw their potential and seeing them connect to that vision has been the greatest moment of my coaching life. I prayed over each of these girls before practices, during practices, and especially during meets. I prayed for their hearts to leap and their faith to be stronger than the fears. I prayed for their goals to be met that they kept a secret from me, I prayed for their friendship in the gym to be a bond that motivated each other to be better.”
“I prayed for wisdom for a drill or a verbal coaching “Ah-ha” moment,” she continued. “I prayed for those positive mistakes to be on purpose on the following turns. I prayed for God to bless them in their gymnastics as much as he had blessed me. Saturday was a super hard day and I was so honored that they asked to have an after meet celebration dinner with me. These kids wanted to hang out with their coach. I am going to miss my Excel Gold coaching life. Thank you for enriching me with your personalities and for being a role model for the younger gymnast in the gym. I know I have said some super crazy things while coaching, but please: Never leave the same way you came! Make a difference, don’t be afraid to be good and when you feel like you cannot, please know that this person who you have spent your evenings with every day after school and some weekends believes in you and is so proud of you. You will make an impact in your world and you will do it with grace as if you are on a 4 inch balance beam: cautious but with precise arm movements and foot placements so that you can depend on your landings and salute life with confidence just the way God choreographed your life’s routine. I love you girls and I am VERY PROUD OF YOU!”
In the Excel Gold session, there were 64 gymnasts from 14 teams. Only the top 50 percent per age group place and Wright Gym was in the top 50 percent.
Brasfield found the podium twice — on balance beam and floor — and Orton made it on vault.
“Grace Glintborg was unable to compete due to an injury but showed up and cheered us on,” Windle said. “Thank you Grace for being here with us. I missed seeing the Angry Bird floor routine or the infamous Grace dancing, but was honored you drove that far to support the team.”
Meanwhile, Sarah Mayberry was the only Level 3 to represent Arkansas in the 2018 Midwest Regionals. She competed in the 11 and older age division on Sunday.
“Sarah was among the top 50 percent placing 5th on beam and 4th on floor,” Windle said. “I am so proud of Sarah. She had a very interesting year and stuck out the season finishing on top of her game and represented our gym with such grace and fantastic gymnastics. I love watching Sarah on balance beam. She is gorgeous to watch. She is very consistent too. Sarah had a great meet up until the last event on bars. She had a mental error that cost her a placement, but it’s just one of those mistakes that you have to look at and say, ‘oh well’ and move on. Sarah knows she is a tough competitor and the growth she had while in Level 3 was rewarding. Congratulations Sarah on your very successful Level 3 season.”
Sunday was quite a busy session. The Wright Gym Classics took 17 girls for the Level 1 and Level 2 competition.
“The Level 1’s and 2’s looked absolutely adorable and ready for competition,” Windle said. “ Mrs. Pam Wright and Miss Madison Wright were also in attendance to be with their team and the girls were so excited to see them. 81 total gymnasts representing 10 teams were in the session.”
The Level 1’s started their competition on vault while the Level 2’s began on bars. “The Level 1’s did an outstanding job,” Windle said. “I am very proud of how hard these girls had to work this year. Competition was new to all of these girls and they have really molded together to form a very creative bond together.”
“In addition to their routines, these girls learned how to compete, how to support each other, how to cheer, and how to pick up the internal drive when one event did not go as planned,” she continued. “These girls are so young but just bounce from one event to the next with excitement. We began the season crossing our fingers that the girls would remember their routines while under the judges’ pressure, and we ended the season with the girls being able to focus on the finer details of a competition. We have seen such growth and maturity in the level 1 team and I am just elated with their results. These girls have big dreams and gymnastics is just part of their journey to becoming the best from their dreams. God has a special hand on these kids and I am excited to continue working up their journey. I am thankful for the parent support in seeing these kids through their first year of competition and for all of your support in practice, in the car rides to and from the meets and especially for being the biggest and loudest cheers for your kids at the meets. I promise these kids hear and see their support group in the stands and that goes a long way for their confidence!”
She congratulated Paicyn Pankey on being the Level 1 Midwest Regional floor champion in the 8 year old division!
Windle called the Level 2 team electric. “These girls are seasoned competitors and a group of outstanding athletes,” she said. “ In practice these girls argue like sisters and in competition these girls cheer each other on like sisters. I love watching the Level 2 team. Miss Madison has done an outstanding job with this group. She has coached them since many of them were in class, moving up with them as Level 1’s and moving up again with them as Level 2’s. Miss Madison has been God sent to these kids and was the perfect coach. She is all heart and has her own way of coaching the kids. She has a lot of fun and allows each gymnast to shine.”
“I am excited to see these girls move forward in their training and I only wish Miss Madison could continue to be part of their growth but we are just as equally excited for Miss Madison as she embarks on her college career,” Windle continued. “It takes a very special kind of person to give up so much of their own personal life to come to a business and invest in the kids, especially when you are in high school with a very competitive dancing career and a coaching career. Miss Madison is very special to these kids and to me and will leave The Wright Gym as one of the best. I can say this from a personal point of view: Thank you for taking such great care of my kids and their teammates. You have been such an inspiration to these young girls. You have influenced every child you came in contact with and I call myself very lucky to have had the privilege to have you coach my kids and to coach along with you. You are very special and we thank you for your dedication and service to this team. These kids had a very successful year and dominated at Regionals due to your leadership and faith you shared in the gymnasts. You are part of their history in gymnastics and you will be their favorite coach of all times. Congratulations to you and your Level 2 team! Sunday was one for the record books!”
The Level 2 team made sure everyone in that competition knew who Arkansas was and what it looked like.
“We had the top scores and we were the team to beat,” Windle said. “The Level 2 team was very poised, very prepared, very confident, and very exciting. They hit routine after routine and the cheers only got louder. In awards, The Wright Gym was the only team to dominate the field! We showed those other six states what Arkansas is capable of. Some call it magic, some call it talent, I call it God’s breathe flowing through our team. God was very present and the girls were shining like the stars he created them to be.”
“Congratulations to our Regional Event Champions: Lilly Jackson, Kenlee Windle, Sarah Smith, Cayleigh Whitehead, Promise Watson, Ellie Senter, Sherri Walton, Maria Cornejo and Hadyn Jenkins. Congratulations to our Regional All Around Champions: Lilly Jackson, Promise Watson, and Maria Cornejo. Congratulations to the Wright Gym Classics. I am beyond proud of how this year’s competition season finished and very excited about what is next to come. Thank you to the parents for all the support and to the coaching staff. This has been a year for the history books for our gym!”