Flipping through meets; Gymnasts compete online

 Ever had a virtual meet? These girls have. They’ve been flipping around for years now, yet it is their first time doing it online. 

     Sophomore Kaity Grimm competes with Harford Gymnastics as a level seven. She is looking at it as positive as possible and states, “It might be less stressful if you’re at your  gym and not competing right in front of the judges’ face.” 

     Senior, Kylie Bomhardt competes with ACPR Gymnastics as a level eight, has a different way of looking at it. She says, “I think these meets will not be good for me because I usually do better when I have people cheering me on and an audience.”  

     Freshman Emma Quick competes with ACPR Gymnastics as a level seven, and she is only worried “about if the devices glitch and the judge can’t see part of your routine.” 

     With the global pandemic going on, these girls have new rules to follow while in the gym. Grimm says, “We have to wear masks the whole practice except when we are doing stuff, we use hand sanitizer every 45 minutes, and at the end of practice they sanitize the whole gym. During practice, we have to stay six feet apart unless you have a mask on and are getting spotted.” 

     According to Grimm, meets won’t be as fun as they used to with all the new rules. She thinks traveling with your team is one of the best parts and that is one of the things that was taken away from them. “I don’t like all the new rules that much because it makes practice kind of less fun and even more strict, but we have to do it to stay safe.” 

     Quick says one of the advantages to virtual meets is that athletes get to use the equipment they’re used to from the gym. “I practice with my gym equipment most of the time, so I think it is a big advantage to be able to use it for a meet,” Quick states. 

     “I hope we go back to the way it used to be because this is my last year and I want to get a senior ceremony like most other seniors before me have gotten, but I am afraid I won’t get one,” Bomhardt states. According to Bomhardt, she just wants a normal season for her senior year, but she doesn’t think she’ll get it.