Local gymnasts representing Motion Gymnastics of Pennington competed in the U.S. Championships held in Louisville, Ky., from July 15–19.
Nikki Pawar, Katie Prikril, Lance Christopher, Eli Meisel, Nicole Kedoin, Hailey Zaggi and Rosie Gertzman participated in Junior Olympic sessions for trampoline and tumbling against hundreds of athletes from across the country.
Eight spots were available on the podium per competition. Lance Christopher of Lambertville finished second overall nationally in Level 8 tumbling and Hailey Zaggi and Nicole Kedoin of West Windsor tied for second within their age group in Level 9 synchronized trampoline.
Eli Meisel of Princeton (15-16 age group), Hailey Zaggi of Ewing (13-14 age group) and Katie Prikril of Lawrenceville (10-12 age group) also made the podium by finishing 3rd, 4th and 5th, respectively, in the finals of the Level 9 tumbling championships for their age group.
"It’s not easy to perform so well on a national stage," said Heather Edwards, head coach. "I couldn’t be happier with all that they accomplished."
Capping off the US Championships was the Regional All-Star competition, where Katie Prikril helped propel Region 6 to a victory in tumbling. Overall, her region came in second.
Athletes using trampolines can be propeled up to 30 feet in the air, when they can perform double and triple twisting somersaults. During tumbling, the gymnasts utilized elevated rod-floor runways, which enabled them to jump at heights more than 10 feet and execute a variety of acrobatic maneuvers.
