Westwood Gymnasts Medal at US National Championships

From May 8-11, Level 5 and Level 6 Rhythmic Gymnasts competed at the US National Stars and Stripes Cup that was held in Daytona Beach, Florida. Girls from the New England Sports Academy (NESA) competed earning a total of 15 medals. Ten of these medals were earned by three Westwood Gymnasts who have been dominating all year round.

Christina Eldamaa, a second grader at the Martha Jones School and Level 5 Child B Gymnast earned a total of four medals for the team. She came in second place on Rope, third in Floor and Hoop, and with a score of 38.7, Christina came in second place winning the Silver Medal for the All-Around. 

Rebecca Shi, a fourth grader at the Downey School and Level 5 Child C Gymnast earned a total of three medals for the team.  She came in second place on Floor and Hoop, and with a score of 38.2, Rebecca came in third place winning the Bronze Medal for the All-Around.

Ashley Devlin, a fifth grader at the Downey School and a Level 6 Jr. A Gymnast earned a total of three medals for the team. She won first place on floor earning her a Gold medal and the Floor Champion Title.  She also came in third place on Ribbon and with a score of 41.9; Ashley came in third place winning the Bronze Medal for the All-Around.

Prior to their success at the US National Competition, these young athletes had an amazing competitive year with podium finishes for both the Massachusetts State Championship and the Northeast Regional Competition.

Rebecca Shi is both the Massachusetts State and Northeast Regional Champion for her level. Ashley Devlin is the Massachusetts State Champion and came in second place for the Northeast Regional Competition. Christina Eldamaa was second at the Massachusetts State Championships and came in third place at the Northeast Regional Competition.

Rhythmic Gymnastics is an Olympic Sport combining ballet, gymnastics, dance, and apparatus (such as rope, ball, hoop, clubs, and ribbon). Coordination, agility, artistry, and grace are just a few of the skills that are required for the sport.

These girls train for over 20 hours per week and are coached by Master of Sport and Armenian National Champion Varduhi Nahapetyan who has been coaching since 1997. They are also coached by a three time Massachusetts State Champion and Former US National Team Member Marina Bekker.

Under the leadership of Varduhi Nahapetyan, the Rhythmic Gymnastics team at the New England Sports Academy has won several Local, State, Regional, and National titles including a total of 26 medals at the 2013 National Championships. 

With already 15 medals from the Level 5 and Level 6 National Competition earlier this month, the team is expecting to exceed their medals from last year as girls from Level 7-10 and Group will be competing at their National Competition (Junior Olympics) next month in Louisville, Kentucky.