Osprey gymnasts find early season success
Courtesy Photo Eden Bryant
Osprey team members pictured from left are: Kestin Marmon, Avery Edwards, Graci Hammer, Lauren Collinge, Chenoa Villegas, Taleah Hernández, Taylor Collinge, Emma Shipley, Mariah D’Beaupre, Elise Dupuis, Ella Dupuis.
Courtesy Photo Eden Bryant
Courtesy Photo Eden Bryant
Courtesy Photo Eden Bryant
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POLSON – The Head Over Heels’ Osprey girls gymnastics team is currently off to a successful 2020 season start with several achievements.
Chenoa Villegas had a fifth-place floor routine during the season’s first meet on Jan. 18 at the Glacier Challenge in Kalispell. After a month with no practice, while undergoing medical testing, Villegas earned a 9.075 score during the floor routine, which turned out to be her final farewell event for the Osprey team. According to Osprey Gymnastics head coach Jessica Edwards, Villegas and her family learned in January that she was born with a congenital defect in her back, which will require her to put aside her gymnastic aspirations.
“Villegas is a talented gymnast and her athleticism has impressed her coaches while she has progressed rapidly through her levels,” said Edwards. “She will be greatly missed by her team.”
While the Osprey had gymnasts competing in each Xcel level (bronze, silver, gold, and platinum) of the Glacier Challenge meet, only the Osprey’s bronze squad contained enough members to compete in the bronze-team division, which took second place against more than 15 teams from Montana, Idaho, Washington and Alberta.
Competing in her age-specific division within the Xcel bronze level, Elise Dupuis was best in the vault (9.450), on the beam (9.375) and overall with a score of 36.55. She also finished with a second place in the uneven bars (9.250).
Bronze-level gymnast Kestin Marmon captured an overall first-place finish in her age group with a 37.325 score. Marmon picked up first-place finishes in the uneven bars (9.475) and beam (9.25), while snagging second-place finishes in both the vault (9.375) and floor (9.225).
Other top-three podium finishers were bronze-level Ella Dupuis with a second on the balance beam (9.325) and a third on the bars (8.975); bronze-level Mariah D’Beupre with third on the beam (9.225); silver-level Graci Hammer finished third on the beam (8.925) and platinum-level Taylor Collinge placed second on the beam (9.425).
At the Mount Helena Open tournament on Feb. 1, the Osprey bronze team took an overall first-place finish.
“We’ve had a really great competition season so far,” said coach Edwards. “Our top gymnasts, PHS Junior Taylor Collinge and PHS Sophomore Taleah Hernández, competing in the platinum division, have greatly improved their bar performances this year and their scores have come up significantly, though floor continues to be their top-scoring event thanks to choreographers/coaches Sydney Snyder and
Bettie Kibala, and ballet training by dance instructor JoLeah Nicholas.”
Elise Dupuis picked up an overall second-place finish (36.7) with first-place finishes in both the balance beam (9.15) and floor routine (9.275) and a second on the uneven bars (9.375).
Marmon posted second-place finishes in the vault (9.25) and floor (9.15) for an overall third place finish in her age bracket.
Emma Shipley, also competing in the bronze class, finished third in the vault (8.9), first on the beam (9.05) and second in the floor routine (9.1) for an overall third-place (35.775) finish.
D’Beupre danced her way to a bronze level first-place finish in the floor exercise (9.05). Silver-division Lauren Collinge picked up an overall third place finish (36.35) by placing third in the vault (9.25) and first in the uneven bars (9.4). Gold-division Avery Edwards placed third on the beam (8.525), and Hammer wrapped up first place in the floor routine (9.2) and a couple third-place finishes in both the vault (9.2) and bars (9.35).
In the platinum category, Hernández ended up third in the floor exercise (8.85), while Taylor Collinge tied for first overall by placing second in the vault (8.95), third in the bars (8.25) and first on both the beam (8.85) and floor routine (9.15).
During the Snow Globe Classic in Post Falls, Idaho, during the weekend of Feb. 28, the Osprey put together a strong performance against teams from Idaho and Washington. Edwards and Taylor Collinge both qualified for the Xcel Region 2 Gymnastics Championships in Everett during the meet. Collinge picked up second in the vault (8.7). Edwards nabbed first in the uneven bars (9.35) and an overall second-place finish in the gold division with a 36.00 score.
Marmon, in the bronze class, took an overall first-place finish with a 37.2 score. She placed first in the vault (9.4) and beam (9.4) followed by a second place in the floor routine (9.1).
Other Osprey gymnast were Elise Dupuis with a third-place showing in both the uneven bars (9.250) and on the beam (9.15), and Lauren Collinge and Shipley with first place on the beam in their respective classes. D’Beupre also took first on the beam (9.1) and third place in the vault (8.9).
