Courtesy Photo | (Left to right): Ariel Hernandez, 11, Cascade Johnson, 13, Grace Ritz, 12, and Malia...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII - For three hours a day, four days a week, the K-Bay Gymnastics team meet at their gym aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii for class. The all-girls team, ages 7 to 17, start practice doing bodyweight exercises such as push-ups, split stretches and walking handstands across the floor of the gym. The warm-ups continue for about an hour before they begin practicing what’s called “events” in gymnastics: the floor exercise, uneven bars, balance beam and vault.
K-Bay Gymnastics trains all year for the USA Gymnastics Competitions in Hawaii. The competitions will begin with the upcoming Kick-Off Meet, held with the Rainbow Gymnastics Academy in Aiea, Hawaii, for gymnasts levels 3 and 4, who are categorized as “compulsories.” Pam Zak and Gail Godenzi, two junior Olympics judges who reside in Hawaii, will score and award trophies to the top three gymnasts who score the highest in the floor exercise, uneven bars, balance beam and vault events, and to the gymnast who scores the highest all round. The meet is open to the public and is scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. on Aug. 31, 2015 at the gymnastics court, Building 1583 aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
According to Di Rodin, lead instructor for K-Bay Gymnastics, if an athlete scores a minimum of 31 points at the Kick-Off Meet, then she qualifies to compete in the State Meet in November. If she passes the State Meet at 36 points, she can move up to a higher level. Athletes who are levels 5 to 10 are categorized as “optionals,” and can undergo more advanced training and complex routines. Often times, additional private lessons are required.
“Gymnastics requires a lot of work, and is very mature and physical,” Rodin said. “I love teaching these girls and helping them grow. (We’re) really like a family.”
Rodin hails from Sao Paulo, Brazil, where she said she first fell in love with ballet. She trained with Russian instructors and then was accepted into the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City, which she said was a “fascinating” time in her life. She said she credits her transition from ballet to gymnastics to her daughter, who became interested in gymnastics at the age of 11 and inspired Rodin to begin teaching. Rodin now teaches gymnastics with fellow coaches Jorilyn Gorgonio and Bryce Kirkley.
“My favorite part of teaching is how I am able to help the girls push past their limits and achieve their goals,” said Gorgonio, a gymnastics coach and Kailua, Hawaii native. “Gymnastics is (very) tough and there are a lot of mental blocks they (must) overcome.”
Aimee Grant, 13, has been with the team for two years and said that coaches like Gorgonio, Kirkley and Rodin provide positive support to them. Even though she has been injured several times in the past, Grant said she is in love with the sport, and especially loves doing routines on the beam with her fellow gymnasts. “It’s very challenging, but I love being with everyone,” said Grant.
“It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s so much fun,” said Ashley Cruz, 11 and a K-Bay Gymnastics athlete. “We had to go to a conditioning camp for three hours a week to help us get more muscles!”
Cruz said her favorite event is the floor exercise because it is the most challenging.
Rodin said for local gymnasts, organizing meets can be a challenge because there are only seven clubs in Hawaii and that includes her own. These meets, however, whether for serious competition or just for fun, is something she said she is passionate about.
“Competing helps the girls try to be better because if you want to compete, you have to have a sense of respect (for the sport),” Rodin said. “It is a labor of love.”
For more information about the Kick-Off Meet on Aug. 31 at 5 p.m. at the gymnastics court, email Rodin at dirodin@hawaii.rr.com.
| Date Taken: | 08.12.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.13.2015 14:58 |
| Story ID: | 172971 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII , HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 85 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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