Island Gymnastics was buzzing on Sunday, April 13. Girls ages 6 through 15 were swinging, flipping, and flying through the air with flexibility, courage, and determination as they warmed up before their Spring Fling meet. The nervous energy was palpable among the gymnasts –– and the family members there to cheer them on.
Island Gymnastics has been a staple in the community for 35 years. Its founder, Beth Goodell, has a passion for coaching. It began when she was just 10 years old, when she first studied gymnastics. And, starting at age 10, through the 1970s and 1980s, Goodell was a teaching assistant at the Vineyard branch of the U.S. Academy of Gymnastics Tumble Bugs program. Now hundreds of students, from six weeks to older adults, have come through her gym. Goodell opened it the very same day she gave birth to her daughter. “I didn’t ever plan to have the gym,” she recalls. She saw the need on the Island when she was the athletic director for the Boys & Girls Club in the late 1980s: “The girls weren’t participating in any sports. We didn’t have the YMCA. The kids, both boys and girls, loved doing gymnastics. Eventually, some became very skilled, so we began competing off-Island.”
And competing is precisely what the 27 gymnasts did on Sunday morning. Three, ages 6 to 8, were from Stardust Gym in East Bridgewater, coached by Alison Hirtle. There was also 15-year-old Josee Winston-Feder from Decal Gymnastics in Oakland, Maine, where she now resides after training at Island Gymnastics when her family lived here.
Goodell grouped the gymnasts by age and level, regardless of which gym they came from, ensuring they were mixed and matched across the four competition levels: bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. It was moving to see how the girls immediately embraced one another, regardless of whether they were Vineyarders or visitors. The high-fives, claps, and supportive calls of “You got this!” were constant throughout.
Island Gymnastics utilizes the USA Gymnastics Xcel program, which was developed as an alternative competitive program to the Junior Olympics. It offers programming flexibility to both coaches and gymnasts. Goodell explains, “Xcel focuses more on versatility and creativity. The girls are not required to perform compulsory routines, which gives them much more flexibility in some of the moves.” Each level includes a set of required skills, although gymnasts can choose within those parameters. “For example,” says Goodell, “if they need to execute a move on the beam that shows a 90° separation of the legs in some kind of jump, it can be a leap, a sissonne — a jump where a dancer springs from both feet onto one foot, with the other leg extended — or a split jump. The skills at each level become progressively more difficult.”
The two judges, Kristy Kaufman and Micayah Goodell, both exceptional former gymnasts, were everything a competitor could desire: They were warm while also providing helpful advice. For instance, after the first round on the uneven bars, Kaufman remarked to the bronze squad, “You want to make your transitions smoother between skills.”
All the levels rotated among the bars, vault, beam, and floor exercises. The atmosphere was tense as the girls warmed up in their respective areas before the judging began. “Remember to breathe,” Goodell reminded them. When it came time to perform, the girls showed steel nerves, even those five competing for the first time. They smiled at the judge, began their routine, and whether they nailed it or made a slip, they ended with a grin, arched back, and arms raised in a triumphant V. “Gymnastics is often emotional, because you are trying to do really hard stuff,” says Goodell. “It requires immense focus at a very young age. It brings a level of maturity very quickly to a kid who can stay with it. Island Gymnastics meets are unique,” she adds. “I like to give out lots of awards.” And, indeed, every girl came away with a ribbon and/or medal, feeling she was a winner.
In the all-arounds, Stardust competitor Grace Sarahs earned 33.5 in the 6- to-7-year-old Xcel Bronze level. In the 8-year-old bronze level, Stardust gymnast Avery Nadeau earned a 32.00. For the 9-to-10-year-old Xcel bronze, Island Gymnastics’ Ana Clara Amaral scored 35.8. Island Gymnastics’ Abella Jimenez got 37.35 in the Xcel silver. For the Xcel gold, Gabriela Barros from Island Gymnastics scored 37.55. For Xcel platinum, Josee Winston-Feder from Decal scored an impressive 37.7, preparing her nicely to go to a national competition next.
With camaraderie strong, the mood was jubilant as the competition ended. Asked why competing is good, Goodell immediately replied, “The sense of teamwork. Life is going to throw curveballs that you can’t even imagine. You can try to do it on your own, but it’s a lot more effective if you rally around your friends and get some help. People think of gymnastics as an individual sport, but it’s all about the team.”
For more information about Island Gymnastics, visit islandgymnasticsmv.com.
