Four gymnasts from the Hawaiian Island Twisters Gym qualified for this month's USA Gymnastics National Talent Opportunity Program Testing, a national competition designed to find the nation's top young gymnasts.

The gymnasts are 9-year-olds Cierra Lauro, a fourth grader at Le Jardin School, and Kiana Palin, a fourth grader at Salt Lake Elementary School; and 11-year-olds Lydia Lehnert, a sixth grader at St. Mark Lutheran School, and Jazmine Padeken-Pasigan, a home-schooled sixth- grader.

The gymnasts are coached by Joe Rapp, Jamey Gossett and Lori Yee.

The TOPs national competition will be held at the USAG Women's National Training Center in Houston, Sept. 22 to 24. The Hawai'i qualifiers passed a regional competition, and are among 300 qualifiers from more than 3,000 gymnasts tested across the nation.

The 20 gymnasts who earn the highest scores in each of three age levels (age 9, 10, and 11) will make the National TOPs A Team. These A Team members will be invited to attend a training camp run by national team coaches in December at Karolyi's Gymnastics, home of famed coaches Bela and Martha Karolyi.

KIRA VERCRUYSSEN, MONIZ IN JAPAN MEET

Hawai'i trampoline gymnasts Matt Moniz of 'Aiea and Kira Vercruyssen of Honolulu placed 21st and ninth, respectively, at the 41st All Japan Inter-College Championships, Aug. 25 to 27, at the Himawari Dome in Japan.

Moniz, a 19-year-old freshman at Leeward Community College, and Vercruyssen, a 19-year-old freshman at Hono-lulu Community College, were among 172 athletes from 26 universities competing at the event.

The two Hawai'i gymnasts were invited by the Japan Trampoline Association and the Inter-College Organizing Committee. The Japan event was part of the Hawai'i Academy's inaugural Collegiate (Coed) Trampoline Program.