Cape Girardeau gymnasts earn top finishes at AAU Junior Olympics
FOX23 News at 9 p.m
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., (KBSI) — Athletes from Heartland Gymnastics earned an event championship and several top-five finishes while competing at the AAU Junior Olympics in Des Moines, Iowa.
Gymnasts ranging in age from 9 to 16 represented Heartland’s Cape Girardeau and Jonesboro, Arkansas, locations at the national competition.
Laurel Ervin led the Cape Girardeau competitors with a first-place finish in the Xcel Silver floor exercise, scoring a 9.800. She finished seventh in the all-around with a combined score of 37.600.
Loren Baldwin also competed in Xcel Silver, placing fourth on bars with a 9.725 and fourth on floor with a 9.450. She finished seventh in the all-around with a score of 37.475.
In Xcel Gold, Kinlee Phillips finished sixth in the all-around with a 37.175. She placed fourth on beam and tied for fifth on floor.
Nora LaValle finished eighth in the Xcel Gold all-around with a 36.700 and earned fourth place on beam.
Camille Williams finished ninth in the Xcel Gold all-around with a score of 36.275. Summer Cairns finished 10th in the division and placed fifth on floor with a 9.625.
Olivia Schoolman competed in Xcel Diamond and earned second place on beam with a 9.225. She finished sixth in the all-around with a 34.475.
In Level 8 competition, Laikyn Williams placed fifth in the all-around with a 34.275 and earned third place on floor with a 9.275.
“Watching these athletes step onto a national competition floor after everything they’ve put into this season is incredibly rewarding,” Heartland Gymnastics owner Kassi Knight-Younger said.
Knight-Younger said the athletes spent months preparing for the competition and credited their perseverance, teamwork and ability to perform under pressure.
“The scores and placements are exciting, but watching them grow into confident young women through this sport is what makes moments like this so special,” she said.
Heartland Gymnastics is based in Cape Girardeau and provides recreational and competitive gymnastics opportunities for athletes of varying ages and skill levels.
