High school gymnastics is one of the least-covered levels of women’s gymnastics competition, so it can be a bit challenging to get into. But despite a different code of points for each state and varying levels of difficulty depending on the school and its athletes, at the end of the season high school gym comes together with their very own national championships that brings together the top high school seniors from each state, including some you’ve already seen on the J.O. and elite scenes and some you’ll continue to see in NCAA.

We had Rae Ann Chrane, a high school team coach in New Hampshire who sits on the board of the NHIAA and is involved with the national federation, recap this year’s competition while explaining the organization and its mission.

The 2016 National High School Gymnastics Senior Invite

Team Massachusetts tumbled their way to a first place finish at the National High School Gymnastics Senior Invite held this May in Fort Myers Beach, Florida at the Estero Recreation Center with a score of 151.85 edging Team New Jersey who finished second with a score of 149.0.

The two states tied for first on vault (37.975) but Team Massachusetts placed first in all remaining events. Team Wisconsin took third with a team score of 141.125, and the Illinois team was fourth (140.225) with Team Connecticut rounding out the top five with a 134.225.

New York’s Cydney Crasa, who will continue competing gymnastics at George Washington University, won the all-around competition with a 38.70. Second place was earned by Team Massachusetts’ Rachel Benoit (38.125), and rounding out the top five were Team New Jersey gymnasts Shannon Farrell and Julianna Drapkin in third and fourth, and Jordan Miranda from Team Massachusetts in fifth.

The National High School Senior Invite is held annually by the National High School Gymnastics Association, in Fort Myers Beach for the past six years. To be eligible to compete at the invite, gymnasts need to be high school seniors who competed in a majority of meets for their home state high schools and their coaches must hold a membership in the NHSGA. Some states like Massachusetts bring as many as 20 girls and a squad of coaches who fundraise to earn their way to the invite. Other state teams are much smaller but all the competitors are encouraged to meet each other and share the love of the sport of gymnastics.

This year’s participating states included Washington, Texas, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. The association will be celebrating its tenth anniversary next year and would love to increase the participation from states that don’t currently field teams.

Some of the gymnasts competing at Senior Invite close out their gymnastics career in Fort Myers. The meet can be a transformative experience for even a beginner gymnast who gives her best for her high school team. Other competitors at the meet go on to compete in college club programs or on NCAA teams.

Some recent standouts from the Senior Invite have included UNH’s Meghan Pfleiger (Team New York 2013 and that year’s all-around champion) and Jennifer King (Team New Jersey 2013), Maryland’s Dominiquea Trotter ( Team New Jersey 2014 and that year’s all-around runner-up), and Pittsburgh’s Kelly Burak (Team Pennsylvania 2013 who placed third all-around that year). The meet has also seen Bridgeport’s Kimberly Stewart (Team Massachusetts 2013) and recent Division 3 standouts Heather Gomes (Springfield) from Team Massachusetts and Alison DiBiase (Rhode Island College) from Team Rhode Island. This year’s participants included prospects for Ball State, Southern Connecticut, West Chester, Brockport, the University of Arizona, and George Washington University.

The meet is held over a three-day period with the first day’s events including a touch of the equipment to check settings and a banquet for all the participants including the judges who come from a variety of states. The competitors arrive Friday for a full day of competition which determines the eventual all-around winner. The top 15 gymnasts in each event return for an event finals showdown on Saturday to determine the top gymnast per event. While the beach can be tempting to the parents, some of the most exciting gymnastics is showcased in the event finals day of competition.

New Jersey’s Julianna Drapkin, a former elite hopeful with MG Elite, took top honors on vault (9.675), bars (9.7), and beam (9.65) during event finals while her NJ teammate Shannon Farrell won floor (9.7). Full results of the meet are available thanks to the NHSGA.

In addition to recognizing the top gymnasts and teams at the meet, the coaches vote to recognize one team with a sportsmanship award as well as the coach of the meet. Team Wisconsin was awarded the sportsmanship award this year while NJ’s Cindy Wagner was recognized by her peers as the coach of the meet. When the meet finishes, the state teams take to the beach for a variety of fun in the sun activities and some mandatory hand stands.

While the meet is largely about competing in a high level gymnastics meet, the NHSGA prides itself that the meet has a huge economic value to the Fort Myers Beach region. The gymnasts and families fill numerous hotel rooms and spend tourism dollars at a time when many retirees have returned north for the summer. The NHSGA board members have even given children in the after school program at Estero Recreation Center an introduction to gymnastics lesson to thank the center for the use of the space.

Other programs of the NHSGA include their scholarship program, the Academic All-American award, and All-American event qualifiers. For more information about the NHSGA and its programs visit the National High School Gymnastics Association.

Article by Rae Ann Chrane