Door County YMCA Strivers Gymnasts Capture Gold at Turkey Invitational
DOOR COUNTY, WI — The Door County YMCA Strivers Gymnastics Team struck gold this weekend at the Turkey Invitational hosted by the Heart of the Valley YMCA in Kimberly, WI. Competing against nine teams, the Strivers demonstrated outstanding skill and resilience, bringing home several medals and high team finishes across multiple levels.
Excel Silver Team Shines with Gold Finish The Strivers' Excel Silver Team led the way, capturing first place with an impressive team score of 109.75, narrowly edging out Stevens Point’s 109.65 for the top spot. Key performances in the ten and under group included Jessa Varney, who medaled 1st on beam and all-around, 2nd on bars, and 3rd on vault, and Annabel Smullen, who earned 1st on vault, 2nd all-around, and 3rd on beam and floor. Additional highlights from this age group included Jackson Varney’s 2nd place finish on vault and 3rd all-around, along with strong placements by Genevieve Gigstead, Maisie Keinhofer, Milana Reifsnyder, and Peyton Watermelon. In the older age groups, Hailey Clarke (11-year-old group) placed 3rd on floor and 6th on bars, while Emma Higginbotham and Cosette Orrick medaled in the 13 and up division. Emma secured 2nd on vault and 4th all-around, with Cosette earning 3rd on floor.
Excel Gold Team Places Fourth Overall The Excel Gold Team proudly achieved a 4th place finish out of seven teams. Standout performances included Ellie Kelsey’s 3rd on vault and 5th on floor in the 11 and under group, Evelynn Kelsey’s 2nd on floor in the 12-13 division, and Greta Virgin’s 6th on beam in the 14 and up group.
Level 8 Team Earns Silver In the Level 8 competition, the Strivers claimed silver with a team score of 69.95. Leading this division, Daylia Sund won the all-around, excelling with 1st place finishes on beam and vault, 2nd on bars, and 5th on floor. Estelle Duerst and Amira Anschutz also made strong showings, with Estelle taking 3rd on bars and 4th all-around, while Amira placed 3rd on vault. Portia Hah rounded out the team’s efforts with a 6th place finish on bars.
The Strivers Gymnastics Team will next compete at the “Fire and Ice” Invitational from November 15-18 in West Bend, WI, hosted by the Kettle Moraine YMCA. The team looks forward to building on its recent successes.
The Door County YMCA: For Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility. Driven by its founding mission, the Door County YMCA has 200 full and part-time staff serving over 11,619 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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