Posted on: Saturday, April 14, 2001

Kaiser freshman qualifies for Junior Olympics national meet

Advertiser Staff

Geary Udagawa, 14, a Kaiser High School freshman, qualified for the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympics National Championship, becoming the first male gymnast from Hawai'i to qualify for a national meet.

Udagawa, a member of the Hawaiian Island Twisters Boys Gymnastic Team, earned the spot with an all-around score of 45.0 during last April's 2001 J.O. Region 2 Championship held at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, Calif.

He passed the 43.5 required score for nationals.

The Junior Olympics will be held May 1-6, 2001, in Minneapolis.

Geary started gymnastics at age 4, and competed in his first meet at age 7. He climbed the gymnastic ladder with a string of state championships since 1996. He is currently one of the two highest ranking gymnasts in Hawai'i and the only one who competed at regionals. As a class 3 gymnast, he trains for 20 to 25 hours a week which includes serious physical conditioning, skills training and mental discipline.