Maui Gymnasts Host Multi-Level Local Meet

KAHULUI, MAUI, HAWAII – May 16, 2011 – Valley Isle Gymnastics hosted its annual VIG Olympics meet on Saturday, May 14. Male and female gymnasts ranging from Level 1 through Level 6 were invited to participate.

“This is my favorite annual event,” says owner Rusty Gage. “We have so many starry-eyed, nervous first-time competitors walk in the door in the morning not having any idea of what to expect, and they always leave with gleaming smiles and a sense of accomplishment. The gleaming medals hanging around their necks just add icing to the cake. The more experienced competitive team athletes usually arrive with a more determined sense of purpose: to win the all-around trophy that’s awarded to the single highest-scoring athlete.”

Within the VIG Olympics, the thirty-five participating athletes competed on the Olympic apparatuses for one of three separate titles: Boys’ All-Around Champion, Girls’ All-Around Champion, and Team All-Around Champion, with the latter being the higher level more competitive athletes having boys and girls join together for the single title.

Winner of the Boys’ All-Around Champion title was 6-year old Keawe Fernandez, a Level 1 gymnast from Kula. When asked if he was nervous about any anything before the meet’s beginning, Keawe’s response was a simple, “Nothing.”

Winner of the Girls’ All-Around Champion title was 7-year old Logan Tsukiyama, a Level 2 gymnast from Kahului. Following her win, Logan’s advice to other athletes who might be considering similar goals was, “Keep training hard, be proud of yourself no matter what, and be happy with yourself.”

Winner of the Team All-Around Champion title was 12-year old Jonathan You, a Level 6 gymnast from Wailuku. When asked how it felt to claim victory over every other member of the competitive team, including boys and girls, Jonathan replied, “It feels good! I feel shocked, like I have accomplished something big. Focusing on one skill at a time and getting encouragement about not stressing over some skills helped me to be more confident.”

“Valley Isle Gymnastics is a bit different from most gymnastics training centers in that our staff is quite purposeful about recognizing that every young person who comes through our doors is an individual. Every individual has a unique set of lenses through which the world is viewed, and our staff works to appeal to that uniqueness,” said Gage. “I think that’s one part of what makes our annual VIG Olympics meet so successful, and I think that’s one small, but extremely vital part of why our gym has continued to thrive through all these years in one location while so many others have come and gone.”

Valley Isle Gymnastics will be hosting its next competition on July 23.

About Valley Isle Gymnastics

Valley Isle Gymnastics was established in the spring of 2004 to meet the growing need for professionally run, wholesome and healthy activities for Maui’s youth and is committed to providing a dynamic, fun, productive and safe atmosphere for young people of all skill levels. Valley Isle Gymnastics offers gymnastics and tumbling instruction for children ranging in age from 2 months to 18 years old.  Well-known for its commitment to service, Valley Isle Gymnastics received the Maui County Mayor’s Small Business of the Year Award, Hawaii Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Business Ethics, the Special Olympics Organization of the Year Award, and has received numerous recognitions and awards for community service.