Trio is heading to regional

The current iteration of the JC Tumbling and Gymnastics started three years ago. It had just three athletes.

Now three gymnasts are heading to the big stage.

Aubree Shannon, Jordyn Champ and Bella Sarver all will compete this weekend in the Xcel Silver Regionals at Summit County Fairgrounds in Tallmadge, Ohio, alongside competitors from Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio.

All three qualified for the regional meet after hitting all-around scores of 36.5 or higher in March at the Indiana Xcel State Championships.

“This is really exciting,” said Katie Daniels, who coaches the JC Tumbling and Gymnastics competitive team. “Those three have worked extremely hard. It’s just a big opportunity for them to see what other girls across the region are doing.”

Champ, a Redkey 11-year-old, was the team’s top performer at the state meet, winning the championship on the vault in the Level XS Division Senior A with a score of 9.425. She also posted the highest all-around score for the team with a 37.65 for fourth place.

Shannon, 12, also of Redkey, scored a 36.775 all-around at the state meet in the Level XS Division Senior C. And Sarver, 11, Winchester, took eighth place in Level XS Division Junior E with a 36.775.

In addition to her win on the vault, Champ was also fourth in the state meet on bars with a 9.6 and tied for fifth on the balance beam with a 9.525. The top placings for both Sarver and Shannon were on the balance beam with scores of 9.55 for fourth place and 9.325 for sixth, respectively.

For all three, their best event is their favorite.

For Champ, vault: “Because I won state.”

For Sarver, floor: “Because I’ve probably gotten most of my highest scores on floor.”

For Shannon, floor: “Because I’ve got all my highest scores on that.”

And all three finished up with “… and it’s really fun.”

Champ’s state championship vault was a front handspring, which is the vault all three compete.

Skills on other events include glides, casts and back hip circles on bars, half turns and leap jumps on the balance beam and roundoff back handsprings, full turns, dive rolls and leap passes on floor. Sarver said she is especially looking forward to hitting her Arabian — a twisting back tuck — on the floor exercise.

“She’s very gifted,” said Daniels of Sarver, noting that her father is a competitive coach. “She is not afraid to do anything. She’s graceful. The dancing ability is there as well.”

“She’s a very natural talent,” she added of Champ. “She’s just very naturally gifted. She can do about anything we ask her to … no hesitation. She just says, ‘OK.’

“Aubrey is the kind of kind that I can look at her, tell her what to do and she’s going to do it. And then she’s going (to) work hard and keep asking me questions to make herself be better. She wants to do better. You can see that.”

Champ, who will also be representing Team Indiana at the event, will compete at 3 p.m. Saturday. Sarver and Shannon will be in competition in separate sessions Sunday.

“Just having fun and trying to do my best,” said Shannon of her goal for the weekend.

Her coach concurred.

“My goal for them is to go have fun,” said Daniels, who set the Jay County High School record on the vault with a 9.675 at the 2013 IHSAA State Finals. “This is going to be a huge, huge environment for them. … They're going to be with girls they don’t know. …

“I’m just very, very proud of them. I’m very grateful for this opportunity to go with them and keep learning.”