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

The gymnasts are: Cierra Lauro (age 9, fourth-grader at Le Jardin School); Kiana Palin (age 9, fourth-grader at Salt Lake Elementary); Lydia Lehnert (age 11, sixth-grader at St. Mark's Lutheran School); and Jazmine Padeken-Pasigan (age 11, home-schooled sixth-grader).

The girls 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, from Sept. 22 to 24.

The Hawai'i qualifiers earned a chance to compete at the national level after being evaluated at a regional competition. From the more than 3,000 gymnasts who tested across the nation, 300 qualified to compete in the national meet.

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

POLO

MATCH ON SUNDAY

Team Argentina and Team Bacardi USA will meet in a polo match Sunday at the Hawai'i Polo Club in Mokule'ia.

Gates open at 11 a.m., and the match starts at 2 p.m.

For more information, call 673-8401.