THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 1, 1995 TAG: 9503010173
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, BEACON SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 134 lines
THE GROUP AAA state gymnastics meet came to town last weekend, giving Virginia Beach a grand opportunity to strut its stuff.
Holding the competition at first-year facility Ocean Lakes High also allowed officials to showcase their newest and most extravagant school. And, true to their usual form, organizers gave an extra effort to ensure that this state meet ranked among the best ever.
``This is just great,'' Lake Braddock coach Michael Cooper said. ``This is such a beautiful school and these people are doing such a fine job of putting on this event.
``They've done a great job of making everybody feel at home.''
Lofty words from a coach who works at one of the biggest and highest-dollar facilities in the state in Northern Virginia.
Cooper and his school also went out of their way to help their gymnasts in any way possible, bringing the team down a day before Friday's team competition so they could enjoy a beautiful day on the beach.
``They loved it,'' Cooper said. ``They did their routines on the sand and wrote good luck slogans in the sand for pictures from up in their rooms. It couldn't have worked out better, and I think it was good for the girls.''
It must have been, as the Bruins captured the team competition and set a combined score meet record.
Organizing such a meet required a host of volunteers from just about all of the city's 10 high schools. Planning, according to school system student activities assistant Diane Anderson, began in December.
Anderson and Cox field hockey coach Nancy Fowlkes served as meet directors, while Ocean Lakes student activities coordinator John Williams was the site coordinator.
The three helped organize the efforts of more than 100 people who erected equipment, made hospitality arrangements, troubleshot problems, ran errands, kept time, flashed scores, provided entertainment and coordinated concessions.
Despite the demands, nothing appeared to be overlooked.
``The nice thing about having the meet (in Virginia Beach) is that you get the support from the whole district,'' Anderson said. ``There are so many good people who want to help and be a part of it that it makes it a lot easier to host something this big.''
Cox hosted the 1988 state gymnastics meet, the last time it was held in Virginia Beach. Anderson explained that the meet is rotated each year between the state's four regions. The last Eastern Region school to host the meet was Menchville.
As far as the gymnastics performers, the Cox team and Kellam's Michelle Alexander were the most successful.
The meet featured some great competition.
Cox had its best team meet of the year but faced a Lake Braddock squad that also was peaking.
``It's a good thing we did,'' Cooper said of his Northern Virginia squad. ``I knew Cox was good and I knew they were able to do better than what they had done in the past. They were having a great meet, so we're fortunate that we happened to also have our best meet of the season.''
Like Cox, Alexander also met up with a peaking competitor.
Atlee High sophomore Rachael Rounds had the best meet of her life, good enough for 1.5 points better than Alexander - who also set a personal best.
Despite finishing second, Alexander left feeling good about how they had done.
``I had no idea how I was doing or what I needed to get on my routines,'' said Alexander, a sophomore. ``I knew I was having a good meet and trying to do the best I could.
``I'm real happy to have finished second.''
Before each day's competition, four gymnasts from the Gymstrada gymnastics school team, which finished fourth in the nation, performed routines so the judges could set a base standard.
While these four warmed up for their routines, many of the high schoolers watched with jaws agape - finding it hard to believe they were going to have to follow the routines they were witnessing.
``Thanks a lot,'' Sommer Burke of Hylton High said, smiling to 12-year-old Alexis Brion after her Olympic-caliber floor routine.
Brion is a three-time national floor champion and ranked second in the country all-around as a junior international elite team member.
Katie McFarland, also 12, got similar comments after she finished her balance beam routine. McFarland is ranked 16th in the country and is a junior international elite team member.
Corey Fritzinger was no less impressive. Also 12, she wowed the gymnasts with her high-flying uneven bars routine.
But while the high schoolers knew nothing of the three 12-year-olds, they recognized the Gymstrada gymnast who performed in vaulting.
Bayside's Liane Williams decided not to compete on the high school level this season to concentrate on early graduation and gymnastics. Williams - who hopes to join former Princess Anne gymnast Erin Shanley at Towson State University - is a two-time state high school champion in both vaulting and floor and won the state bars title one year.
``It was a tough decision to not do high school this year,'' Williams said, stretching out before her routine Friday night. ``I had to think about it for a long time.
``But I really haven't missed it at all. I've been too busy with trying to graduate early and with gymnastics. It was kind of weird when they told us we were going to be doing this, because I could be here competing in this meet.''
The Beach District and Ocean Lakes won't have to wait long to again showcase the place.
Ocean Lakes will host this spring's state soccer tournament. ILLUSTRATION: [Cover]
A SHOWCASE EVENT
Photo by PETER D. SUNDBERG
Kristen Grabb
Photos by PETER D. SUNDBERG
Kellam sophomore Michelle Alexander strikes a pose during the floor
exercise. She set a personal best (37.70) in all-around scoring but
fell 1.5 points shy of first place to another sophomore, Rachel
Rounds of Atlee High.
Despite a formidable knee brace, Heather Bartone of Menchville High
sprang high in the balance beam competition.
Photos by PETER D. SUNDBERG
Erin Schweitzer of Cox High leaps high into a split during her
floor exercise. The Falcons finished second in the state to Lake
Braddock.
Katie McFarland, 12, of the Gymstrada Junior International Elite
Team, goes through a routine on the balance beam to give the judges
a base score before the high school meet. It left the high school
competitors and spectators awed at the high level of the youthful,
but more skilled, gymnasts.
``I'm real happy to have finished second,'' said Kellam's Michelle
Alexander of her score in the all-around competition.
by CNB