The All Starz Academy Gymnastics Team took part in the Arizona State Xcel Gymnastics Championship on March 2 through 31, in Glendale. Head coach and owner, Brandee Proffit said, “The team had a fantastic showing with lots of impressive scores and places. I am so proud of their accomplishments.”
The Arizona State Xcel Gymnastics Championship has three different levels of competition. The first level is xcel bronze; the second, xcel silver; and the third, xcel gold. In these categories, seven Kingman girls from the academy took top medals at the state championships. These champions are: Bertie Lock, age 7, in xcel bronze, took two golds, one silver, and one bronze; Ava Elsbury, age 11 in xcel bronze, took one silver; Aubrie Terlesky, age 13 in xcel bronze, took one bronze; Cash Proffit, age 13 in xcel silver, took one silver, and two bronze; Courtney Witt, age 12 in xcel silver, took one silver; Kinsley Bahre, age 7 in xcel silver, took one bronze; and Anna Burns, age 12 in xcel silver, took one bronze.
Proffit said about that competition, “We’re against all the biggest, best teams in the state, and we’re a little town. If they win a gold, silver or bronze medal, it’s a big deal.” Proffit continued, “It is cut-throat. It is very competitive. So, we really celebrate. We have a wall of fame in our gym and banners. So, whenever an athlete places, a banner is put up, and they stay up forever.”
The gymnastics team is comprised of the Kingman All Starz Academy of Gymnastics and Dance’s top students in the gymnastics program. Within the program, the students who have the skills necessary are invited to try out. If they make it, they are on the gymnastic team. The team travels to different competitions in and out of state.
Proffit, a former gymnastic medalist herself has owned the gym since 1993. She is actively involved with gymnastics and dance as a coach. Her daughter, Cash Proffit, age 13 is one of the seven girls that won medals in the state championships.
Like Cash, all the girls work hard all season. Many of these athletes go to school, and then they go directly to the gym every day after school. They do their homework at the gym before gym starts, go home, get ready to go to bed, and they do it all over again the next day. Proffit says, “It’s neat to see that this is something they love to do. It helps them to be much stronger, increases stamina, and it is amazing for discipline and time management.”
With these attributes these All-Star girls will be ready for upcoming meets as follows: May 2 through 5 Xcel Regional Championships in San Diego; on May 10 through 11, the All Starz home meet, the Cartoon Classic at All Starz Academy. Then, the season will conclude with the AAU 2019 Southern Pacific Gymnastics District Championships on May 17 through 19 in Indian Wells, Calif. Proffit hopes that the girls will have more high scores at the future events. Linda McMahon
