By Neto Baptiste
Gymnastics coach, Alex Schlosser, believes the recent participation by Antigua Elite Gymnastics at the Magical Classic held recently in Orlando, Florida, served a both a major confidence booster and an eye-opener for the young gymnasts from Antigua.
The Antigua Elite Gymnastics, a Level 2 squad, finished an impressive sixth from amongst a field of 21 teams.
“Going over there and being able to see the higher level kids that were competing alongside them and just being aware of how many people are involved in the sport and how much there is on the all-around [performing on all four apparatus]. Reaching out to the other coaches who all said it was great to see Antigua so there was a lot more support and they really felt welcomed. They came back with a very positive attitude. They are like hey, I want to work on this skill now or I want to get this and I want to do this and I want to get at that level, so I think it was a good motivation for them,” he said.
Schlosser also highlighted that the competition was much bigger in terms of participation than what the young athletes have grown accustomed to.
“It was a great competition and it was from all levels so we went from level one to level 10 and then we had about 3000 athletes at that competition alone. Previously, we were in Barbados and there were only two to three hundred athletes so making the change to 3000 was impressive for the girls but it was a great competition,” the coach said.
Level 2 gymnasts Tali Arnan, Orah Arnan, Denae Bontiff, Amelie Hall, and Olivia Hadeed delivered outstanding performances across vault, bars, beam, and floor exercises, contributing significantly to the team’s achievement.
Competing in the more advanced Level 3 category, Elodie Hall, Valerie Hadeed, and Dannika Tarter faced formidable opposition with routines showcasing technical precision, physical strength, and artistic expression, earning recognition from judges and spectators alike.
The team’s collective efforts yielded an outstanding 15-medal haul, demonstrating their competitive excellence.
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