Posted on: Friday, April 23, 2004
Our neighborhood athletes
Hawai'i gymnasts advance to nationals
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Advertiser Staff
Eight top-level Hawai'i female gymnasts, including the youngest ever from the Islands, advanced to the national championships after qualifying at the 2004 Junior Olympic Regional Gymnastics Championships.
Randi Lau, 10, became Hawai'i's youngest level-10 qualifier at the meet in Corvallis, Ore., April 2 to 4.
"I feel that it's very nice to do ... to be the youngest to do the biggest skills on the Island," said Lau, a Punchbowl area resident.
The others who qualified are Rebecca Cardenas, 13; Christie Chinaka, 18; Megan Harada, 12; Alyssa Onaga, 17; Mawie Talion, 13; Tracie Tamashiro, 14, and Jackie Walkabout, 17.
All are from Hawaiian Island Twisters, except for Walkabout, who is from Pantheon Gym on the Big Island.
Naomi Delara, from Maui Gymnastics Academy, is an alternate.
They will compete at the USA Gymnastics National Championships in Orlando, Fla., April 30 to May 2.
Level 10 is considered the highest level of Junior Olympic (or non-elite) competition.
"I'm proud of them every year," said Joe Rapp, head coach of Hawaiian Island Twisters. "This is the second-most kids who've qualified for junior nationals (10 qualified in 1994)."
Rapp, 43, a coach for 28 years who was also a gymnast at Cal State Fullerton, said the top seven from each region qualify and Hawai'i has four in the Junior A (10-13 age group).
The region includes gymnasts who qualified from their own state. The states in the region are Alaska, Hawai'i, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
"The four in the Junior A (Lau, Harada, Cardenas, Talion) and one in Junior B (Tamashiro) all have qualified (for) elite," Rapp said. "They earned the right to go elite. I don't feel they're ready. I want to train them another year."
Rapp said Kiralee Hayashi also was 10 when she qualified at level 10 in the 1980s, but she was months older than Lau.
Lau said she got involved in gymnastics after watching a Russian gymnast compete in the Olympics.
"I liked how they flipped upside down and swung on the bars," she said.
Three other Hawai'i gymnasts competing in level 9 also qualified for a national event.
Becca Pang, 14, Amanda Pascual, 12, and Rika Rossing, 14, qualified for the Western Nationals in Seattle, which will take place today and tomorrow. Megan Lueders, 15, and Mandilyn Suzuki, 12, are alternates.
