Door County YMCA Striver Gymnasts Tumble to National Heights
Door County YMCA Striver Gymnasts Tumble to National Heights
DOOR COUNTY, WI — The YMCA Striver Gymnastic Team tumbled in the Tundra of Green Bay, Wisconsin June 23rd -28th at the 2025 YMCA Gymnastic Championships. The team secured their way to two national titles, a Level 8 “championship finalist” in the top 25, two top-ten team banners, 28 individual medals in the “top ten” rankings and seven medals in 10th -13th place. Medals are awarded to the top 30 percent of competitors in their level/division.
Striver Excel Silver; Senior A Division Gymnast, Emma Higginbotham, lead the Silver team, winning gold in the all-around (37.175) and the uneven bars (9.750). Teammate Jessa Varney, Junior A division, won bronze in the all-around (37.775), and bars (9.825). Rounding off the top three spots for the Silver team was Genevieve Gigstead who won bronze on floor exercise. (9.50). The Silver Team won the third-place place team banner out of 11 teams competing. The top three teams were awarded banners.
The Striver Level 8 Team captured a 9th-place team banner out of 31 teams competing (102.150). The top ten Level 8 teams were awarded banners. Leading the way for Level 8 was Daylia Sund. Daylia qualified for the championship round, placing in the top 25 in the all-around during the preliminary competition. Daylia secured a bronze medal in vault (9.35) and placed 19th in the finals with an all-around score of 34.45.
Striver Excel Gold gymnast Lauren Gaida earned two silver medals. One on floor (9.35) and one on vault (9.25). The Excel Gold Team placed 6th out of 10 teams competing.
Rounding out a fantastic four days of competition, numerous Striver gymnasts returned home with individual medals. Silver gymnasts returning with medals are: Emma Higginbotham 1st bars, all around, 3rd floor, 4th beam, 10th vault. Maise Keinhofer 9th floor. Genevieve Gigstead, 3rd floor. Jessa Varney 3rd all around and bars, 6th vault, 9th floor, and beam. Annabel Smullen, 8th floor and all around,5th vault, 12th beam, 13th bars. Jackson Varney (male) was awarded medals on all events. Adela Cordua-Stenzel 8th bars, 10th beam, and all around. Cosette Orrick 6th vault, 7th floor, 8th all around, 11th beam. Piper Delarwelle 10th bars. Louisa Grenfell, 11th beam, 12th floor. Gold gymnasts: Lauren Gaida 2nd floor and beam, 5th all around, 6th bars. Greta Virgin 7th beam, 8th bars. Evelynn Kelsey, 7th floor. Level 8 Daylia Sund 3rd vault, 19th all around.
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Photos left to right- Daylia Sund, Emma Higginbotham, Genevieve Gigstead, Jessa Varney, Lauren Gaida
The Striver Team was coached by Nikki Pollman, Heather Haese and Gerrit DeJonge
The Door County YMCA: For Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility. Driven by its founding mission, the Door County YMCA has 220 full and part-time staff serving over 12,600 members in Door County from facilities in Fish Creek and Sturgeon Bay in a broad range of programming for all ages. The Y empowers everyone, no matter who they are or where they’re from, by ensuring access to resources, relationships, and opportunities for all to learn, grow and thrive. By bringing together people from different backgrounds, perspectives, and generations, the Y’s goal is to improve overall health and well-being, ignite youth empowerment and demonstrate the importance of connections in and across 10,000 communities nationwide.
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