Bahamas Star Gymnastics award winning Level 2 team and coaches display First Place Team Award for Time Rand American Twisters Gymnastics Invitational. Front row: Lauryn Stubbs, Coach Kachara Marshall and Kym-Benay Greene. Back row: Coach Tenille Thompson, Soraya Halkitis and Coach Idania Garcia-Stroud.

Passion, persistence, perspiration and patience in pursuit of excellence propelled Bahamas Star Gymnastics’ competitive squad to the top of the medal podium. In their second appearance at the Tim Rand American Twisters Gymnastics Invitational hosted in Fort Lauderdale, Florida over the weekend (March 8), these “starlets” nailed a first place in the team division for Level 2, a fourth place in the level 3 team division, churned out brilliant individual results including several first place finishes among 12-13 other age division competitors and inked personal best and season best results in the scorebooks for their club and country. All of the gymnasts scored above a 36 (of 40) which is unprecedented in the country’s history of the sport in a single meet.

The “crowning” moment came when BSG’s Level 2 team was announced as Team Division winners in the All Around ranking. The supporting cast of Bahamians had already peaked emotionally when Soraya Halkitis, Kym-Benay Greene and Lauryn Stubbs swept the top three positions in the Uneven Bars segment. “Of all of the events, Uneven Bars challenged our team most throughout this season and we basked in the moment of the three straight victory as affirmation of the hard work hammered out in the gym,” beamed coach and co-chaperone Tenille Thompson. At the Magical Classic, BSG’s Uneven Bar scores were uncharacteristically lower than expected (low 8.0 out of 10) and the coaches headed back to the drawing board with the Code of Points, dissected the routines and made adjustments. Providence would have it that the same Uneven Bar judge at the Magical Classic also judged the gymnasts at Tim Rand and the results, all 9.0 or higher, brought relief and celebration to the coaches and gymnasts.

Lauryn Stubbs has been dubbed “the comeback kid” of the season. Lauryn had taken a four year absence from the sport and returned last summer as a new enrollee of BSG. Her journey faced some setbacks when she did not medal at Atlantis Crown Gymnastics Invitational in December, her first competitive meet for the season. At her second meet, Tim Rand, Lauryn dug deep and medaled in second place All Around (36.875 of 40), second place on Vault and third place on Uneven Bars, Balance Beam and Floor Exercise.

and apply principles of discipline and hard work to draw the best results from our squad ofathletes, talented or not. I would never have dreamed back in 2010 that today the results would be so amazing and that our track record is one of constant improvement. The results from this season and especially this meet have motivated us to take the squad of athletes under our direction to new levels. Same core values repeating themselves as time honored principles”. Marshall teams up with Coach Idania Garcia-Stroud whose primary focus is on the development of the dance and artistic aspect of the sport. Adding to the equation in delivery of instruction is Coach Tenille Thompson, a former gymnast, whose contribution includes strengthening fundamentals and intensifying the conditioning levels in preparation for higher level skills. When asked whether the BSG gymnasts will likely qualify for the Olympics in future years, the coaching staff all respond, “God’s Will and time will tell.”

Bahamas Star Gymnastics opened its doors on Bacardi Road in 2010 with its Starmania Summer Camp and has contributed to the hosting of Atlantis Crown Gymnastics Invitational and other events such as coaches clinics which continue to improve the sports of gymnastics in the country. BSG will host its own meet, BGPBC-Bahamas Star Gymnastics Invitational, for the third consecutive year in late April.

Bahamas Star Gymnastics award winning Level 3 team and coaches display Fourth Place Team Award for Time Rand American Twisters Gymnastics Invitational. Front row seated:, Madisson Deveaux, Coach Kachara Marshal, Sanaa Saunders. Back row standing: Candace Murphy, Summer Sturrup and Aniyah Pratt.