By Special to the Town Crier
When most kids imagine a week at Disney World they think of amusement parks and roller coasters. For Twisters gymnasts, the first few days in Florida were no walk in the park.
At the 2002 United States Association of Independent Gymnastics Clubs National Gymnastics Championships in Orlando, only five gymnasts out of the 150 talented qualifiers from Mountain View-based Twisters reached the finals.
Among them was Los Altos resident Courtney Sinclair, who recovered from a shaky start on her mount to nail a beautiful backflip on the 4-inch wide balance beam and win the national title with a 9.40.
The 16-year-old’s spirited performance to “Greased Lightening” netted a 9.575 and a bronze medal on the floor exercise. Sinclair finished fifth all-around with a 36.50, placing behind teammate and Mountain View resident, Katelyn Taylor.
Taylor, 17, finished first all-around in the preliminary session and third in finals with a 36.70, also claiming a gold medal on beam. Sinclair and Taylor earned eight individual event medals between them on vault, bars, beam, and floor. Kat Shultis of Mountain View finished eighth on floor exercise with a 9.35.
Inspired by teammate Sinclair’s aggressive performance, Kaitlin Moorhead, 10, earned the gold on beam for her age group with a 8.975. The Palo Alto resident also won bronze medals on vault, floor and all-around with a total of 35.30.
“We were thrilled to bring home three national balance beam champions,” Twisters head coach Nancy Kludt said. “Beam is the event that requires the most concentration and steadiest nerves. These youngsters overcame a tough week of travel and the excitement of being at Disney World and proved to the nation just how talented they are.”
Kludt said the showing was especially important for high school junior Sinclair and seniors Taylor and Shultis because the USAIGC Nationals is a showcase event for college-bound athletes.
With four scores counting, the Twisters girls team earned a sixth-place banner. But they weren’t the only athletes gaining recognition.
Led by Los Altan Graham Stanton, the Twisters boys - in their national debut - won the team gold.
Performing in his first major competition, Stanton grabbed silver medals on the parallel bars and high bar events and netted fifth place finishes on vault, rings and all-around.
Fellow Los Altos resident Parker Sinclair, Courtney’s brother, won a bronze on vault.
Los Gatos resident Patrick Shen earned a silver medals on vault and finished sixth on pommels horse, rings, parallel bars, and all-around.
Los Altan Alex Oliver finished in the top 10 on four of the six events, along with fellow Los Altans Igor Hiller and Ian Tormey of Mountain View.
But the week wasn’t only about building skills and winning medals. With national titles under their belts and huge smiles on their faces, the Twisters gymnasts, coaches, and families spent the rest of their week enjoying a fun Orlando vacation.
