Door County YMCA Striver Gymnasts Flip to Victory at Fire and Ice Invitational

Door County YMCA Striver Gymnasts Flip to Victory at Fire and Ice Invitational

DOOR COUNTY, WI — The Door County YMCA Striver Gymnastics Team achieved a remarkable victory this past weekend at the “Fire and Ice” Invitational in West Bend, WI, hosted by the Kettle Moraine YMCA. Competing across multiple divisions, the Strivers showcased their exceptional skills, bringing home top honors and numerous individual medals.

 Level 8 Triumphs with First Place Finish

In the Level 8 competition, the Strivers claimed the championship trophy with a team score of 68.80. The Wausau YMCA followed in second place with 68.35, and La Crosse YMCA rounded out the top three with 66.15. Individual highlights include:

• Daylia Sund: Gold in the all-around, vault, and floor exercise; bronze on bars.
• Estelle Duerst: Bronze on bars, fourth in the all-around, fifth on vault.
• Amira Anschutz: Fourth place on vault.

Excel Silver Team Strikes Gold

The Excel Silver Team also captured first place, earning a team score of 111.15. Fond Du Lac YMCA took silver with 110.15, while host team Kettle Moraine placed third with 109.4. Standout performances included:

• Nine-and-Under Age Group:
  • Jessa Varney: Gold in the all-around and bars; bronze on vault; fourth on beam.
  • Genevieve Gigstead: Silver in the all-around and bars; bronze on floor; gold on vault.
  • Annabel Smullen: Silver on bars and in the all-around; fourth on floor; fifth on beam.
• 10- and 11-Year-Old Age Group:
  • Peyton Watermolen: Gold in the all-around and vault; silver on beam and bars; fifth on floor.
  • Jackson Varney: Gold on floor; silver in the all-around and beam.
  • Maise Keinhofer: Bronze on vault; fifth on bars.
  • Hailey Clark: Bronze in the all-around and on floor; fifth on beam.
• 12-and-Older Age Group:
  • Emma Higginbotham: Swept gold in all five events: all-around, floor, vault, beam, and bars.

Excel Gold Team Secures Silver

The Excel Gold Team earned second place with a team score of 106.25, narrowly edged out by Green County YMCA with 106.55. Notable performances included:

• 12-and-Under Age Group:
  • Sawyer Soukup: Gold on vault; silver on beam; fourth on floor; sixth in the all-around.
  • Ellie Kelsey: Fifth on beam.

• 12-and-Older Age Group:
  • Lauren Gaida: Gold in the all-around and beam; silver on floor; bronze on bars; fourth on vault.
  • Keira Clark: Gold on vault.
  • Evelynn Kelsey: Bronze on floor

In the Platinum division, Shaylyn Asher earned silver on beam and bronze on bars and in the all-around.

Next Stop: Pink Invitational

The Strivers will return to competition on the weekend of December 7, 2024, at the “Pink” Invitational in Menominee, MI, hosted by the Marinette Menominee YMCA Gymnastics Team. The team is eager to build on its recent successes as the season progresses.

Team Photo Captions:

• Level 8 Team (left to right): Estelle Duerst, Daylia Sund, Portia Hah, Amira Anschutz.
• Silver Team (left to right): Jessa Varney, Jackson Varney, Hailey Clark, Genevieve Gigstead, Annabel Smullen, Maise Keinhofer, Peyton Watermolen, Emma Higginbotham.
• Gold Team (left to right): Evelynn Kelsey, Keira Clark, Ellie Kelsey, Sawyer Soukup, Lauren Gaida, Greta Virgin.
• Platinum Division: Shaylyn Asher

The Door County YMCA: For Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility. Driven by its founding mission, the Door County YMCA has 200 full and part-time staff serving over 11,619 members in Door County from facilities in Fish Creek and Sturgeon Bay in a broad range of programming for all ages. The Y empowers everyone, no matter who they are or where they’re from, by ensuring access to resources, relationships, and opportunities for all to learn, grow and thrive. By bringing together people from different backgrounds, perspectives, and generations, the Y’s goal is to improve overall health and well-being, ignite youth empowerment and demonstrate the importance of connections in and across 10,000 communities nationwide.

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