Ignacio’s Ignite Gymnastics continues to produce the next generation of quality gymnasts in the area.
The Ignite Gymnastics team traveled up to Aurora for the 2024 Colorado Bronze/Silver State Championship on May 31 at the Colorado Gymnastics Institute.
Six-year-old Henley Beck won the Bronze State Championship in AA (all-around) Child A Group with a score of 37.40. Beck won the state championship in vault with a 9.575 and beam with a 9.5. She was also the silver medalist on bars with a 9.25 and fifth on floor with a 9.075.
Beck has been with Ignite Gymnastics for over a year and started competing this year. She was nervous in her first meet in Albuquerque in January according to Ignite coach Liz Herring. But since then, Beck has won three events including state in AA.
At the bronze level of gymnastics in Colorado, there’s an August through December season and a January through June season. There’s a state meet in December as well as the one that happened last weekend.
For bronze level gymnasts in Colorado, the state championship meets are the highest-level meets they can qualify for.
Bella Harris, 7, was fifth AA with a 37.125 in Child Group 4. She was the silver medalist on vault with a 9.65, fifth on beam with a 9.425 and fifth in AA with a 37.125.
“Henley and Bella did very well,” Herring said. “It's really tough competition there. Essentially, they really have to be on. They have to perform as perfectly as they can. We are one of the smaller teams. We have seven girls. There are teams that have 32 girls.”
Ignite almost took the silver age group with Briar Oelschlaeger, 8, being the silver medalist in AA with a 36.00, silver medalist on beam with a 9.425 and fifth on vault and floor. Mackenzie Hardesty, 7, was the bronze medalist in AA with a 35.70, bronze medalist on bars with a 9.35 and fourth on beam with a 9.075.
Herring was proud of how Alexa Lemke, 8, bounced back in her first state meet. She was nervous and had a few falls initially but recovered to be the bronze medalist on bar with the Child Group 2.
Next up for the Ignite Gymnastics program is offseason practice before competitions begin in September.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
