2011 USTA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS



Congratulations to our athletes on a fantastic showing at the state meet!  We are very proud of each and every one of you! 
GAR Coaching Staff

                                              ***1st place team overall***
                                              ***9 All Around State Champs***
                                              ***56 State Titles***
                                              ***126 National Qualifying Events***

Team pushes forward on getting ready for State. 










                                                      Here our some of the results


                                     ***1st PLACE OVERALL TEAM ***
 
                                                         (GAR has won the overall team category at every meet so far this year!)

                                                                     ***57 1st PLACE TITLES***

 
                                                                  ***6 ALL AROUND ATHLETES***

  (Jacob Hedberg, Hannah Miller, Caitlin Clark, Brett Johnson, Austin Youngwolf, and Daniella Zavala walked away with 1st place finishes in all 3 of their events. Congratulations!)
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Here is what Coach Whit had to say after the meet:

  
  " I am proud of our athletes and I am thankful to be the coach of such a dominant team. Your hard work is what makes you champions!

      
Thank you for another great meet! "

Whitney

By Mike Wiser RRSTAR.COM Posted Jul 09, 2010 @ 12:48 AM

Where have I heard that name? Whitney Miller, 39, of Roscoe has coached at the Gymnastic Academy of Rockford for the past 10 years.

Do you belong to any clubs, groups or boards? I am an avid member of the Oprah Book Club ... just kidding.

What inspires you to do what you do? Helping kids to realize that they can be and do anything in life is a great inspiration to me. The most important thing we do as adults is to inspire children to be greater than they think they are.

Up next for you: I have most recently been added to the recreational programming board at GAR, and we have a ton of fun, new ideas for classes that we are excited to soon be able to offer our youths.

What do you do for fun? My hobby is coaching, so I have the best job in the world. I actually get paid to do what I love.

Favorite place in the Rock River Valley: I love eating at JMK’s and singing karaoke with my friends.

Your motto: It’s a tie between “What you think is what you do” and “One day chicken, next day feathers.”

What do you like best about your job? Watching these young, impressionable athletes grow into strong, confident young men and women whom I am sure will change the world for the better!

Something people are surprised to learn about you: I have a few: I am an avid “Star Trek” fan and have a life size Capt. James T. Kirk in my bedroom. My prized possession is a Lego model of the boat Orca from “Jaws.” My favorite treat is stale circus peanuts and diet ginger ale. I cry at Disney movies and AT&T commercials.

Best piece of advice: If you are always waiting at the bottom of the ladder for the line to move up, you will never go anywhere.

Take two weeks off: As crazy as it sounds, I would be coaching during the day, and alternate watching “Jaws” and old “Star Trek” reruns at night.

What did you want to be when you grew up? A lion tamer.

Do you have any funny life experiences? Every day! I love life, and laugh loud and often, so the experiences are too many to cite.

What is something that distinguishes you from everyone else? Anyone who has ever met me would agree: my laugh.

Your biggest challenge: Extreme Sudoku.

What was your first job? I was a magician’s assistant for birthday parties.

What is your biggest pet peeve? It’s a tossup between “close talkers” with coffee breath (sorry, Dad), and tardiness.

Something the Rock River Valley needs: The Rock River Valley would benefit from hosting more cultural events.

Want to nominate someone for Get To Know Me? Contact Mike Wiser at mwiser@rrstar.com or 815-987-1410.

By Emily Tropp RRSTAR.COM Posted Jul 08, 2010 @ 03:28 PM Last update Jul 09, 2010 @ 11:57 AM Editor's note: This story contained incorrect information when it first published. That information has been corrected.

Twenty-nine individual national champions. Eleven total team awards. Fifty-four total individual medals.

“It was just amazing to be a part of something like that,” said Whitney Miller, coach for the Gymnastics Academy of Rockford’s tumbling and trampoline teams.

Miller’s young athletes dominated at this year’s United States Trampoline and Tumbling Association National Championships two weeks ago in Springfield. In addition to the numerous individual medals, GAR placed first in the overall team standings, and Miller was named the USTA’s National Coach of the Year.

“We had prepared to do our best, and that’s all I can ask is for the kids to do their best,” Miller said. “So to have the team do so well as a whole meant a lot. We really focus on teamwork inside our gym and motivate each other.

“Out of the 91 teams that were there, we finished first. That’s pretty huge to have the best team in the nation. It was a fantastic feeling.”

GAR’s individual tumbling titles were Alexandra Stallons in Tumbling Elite All Ages (86.9) and Tumbling Advanced Girls 15-16-year-olds (72.9), Hannah Miller in Tumbling Advanced Girls 11-12 (66.6), Reghan Brands in Tumbling Advanced Girls 9-10 (65.9), Mackenzie Nardiello in Tumbling Sub-Advanced Girls 17 (41.2), Madison Benes in Tumbling Sub-Advanced Girls 9-10 (40.8), Panida Phetsavanh in Tumbling Sub-Advanced Girls 11-12 (40.5), Austin Sturlin in Tumbling Sub-Advanced Boys 9-10 (40), Taylor Ferger in Tumbling Sub-Advanced Girls 15-16 (39.9), Jaci Adams in Tumbling Intermediate Girls 15 (39.2), Thomas Tureff in Tumbling Intermediate Boys 9-10 (38.1), Jasmine Roman in Tumbling Novice Girls 9 (37.5) and Caden Otey in Tumbling Sub Novice Boys 6 (35.6).

National champions in double mini trampoline were Mackenzie Nardiello in Double Mini Intermediate Girls 15 (58.9), Jacob Hedberg in Double Mini Intermediate Boys 9-10 (58) and Brogan McChristie in Double Mini Beginner Boys 11 (38).

National trampoline champs from GAR were Easton Fisher in Trampoline Novice Boys 11-12 (18.8), Jaci Adams in Trampoline Novice Girls 15 (18.3), Jacob Hedberg in Trampoline Intermediate Boys 9-10 (18.2), Panida Phetsavanh in Trampoline Intermediate Girls 11-12 (18.1), Reghan Brands in Trampoline Novice Girls 10 (18), Evan Larson in Trampoline Novice Boys 13 (17.8), Asa Taylor in Trampoline Beginner Boys 9-10 (17.6), Aidan McChristie in Trampoline Novice Boys 9-10 (17.5), Brogan McChristie in Trampoline Intermediate Boys 13-14 (17.5), Josh Fieldsend in Trampoline Beginner Boys 11 (16.9), Reese Rader in Trampoline Beginner Girls 11 (16.9), Brett Johnson in Trampoline Beginner Boys 7-8 (16.7) and Abdul Kareem in Trampoline Intermediate Boys 11-12 (15.4).

GAR also had 13 second-place and 12 third-place individual medals.

Staff reporter Emily Tropp can be reached at 815-987-1385 or etropp@rrstar.com.

Copyright 2010 Rockford Register Star. Some rights reserved

This week in The Times: Whitney Miller Vitals: Whitney Miller, 38, is a resident of Roscoe. Miller has been a coach for the Gymnastics Academy of Rockford for the past 10 years. This year, her team dominated the United States Trampoline & Tumbling Association’s (USTA) National Championships in Springfield, Ill., where they won the overall 2010 National Championship. They took home first place overall as a team, along with 11 team awards, 29 individual national champions and 54 total individual medals. Miller was named the USTA 2010 Coach of the Year.

1. What factors led to your team’s success at the USTA National Championships? I have had the privilege of being able to work with a strong coaching staff, supportive parents, and athletes that possess an incredible work ethic. When you put all of those factors into play, you have the recipe for success. My love for the sport is only surpassed by my love of being able to work with young athletes. It is more important for me to help young people grow into strong adults who will become positive, influential leaders in our community rather than world champions. Luckily, the two seem to go hand-in-hand. Winning 11 team national titles is a testament to our strength and cohesiveness as a team. Being a part of something bigger than yourself is a wonderful memory for anyone to have. I am truly blessed to have been a part of it.

2. How does it feel to be a national champion as a tumbler and coach? When I won the World Championships in 1986, it was one of the greatest moments in my life outside of the birth of my two children. I was the best in the world at what I did, and with that came an enormous sense of self-accomplishment. As for being recognized for my coaching, I am greatly honored to have been named 2010 Coach of the Year. To be recognized for my coaching abilities at the national level is an amazing feeling. It shows how hard my athletes work, not only on an individual level, but on a team level as well. To be able to bring home 29 individual national titles is an unbelievable feeling for me. Above all else, I am very proud of all of my kids; they all did their best, and that is all anyone can ask for. They truly are my second family, and I am thankful for the opportunity to be able to work with such a fantastic group of athletes.

3. How did your previous success and experience influence your team? My past success within the sport gave me a unique roadmap to utilize on the training of my athletes. By being a past national and world champion, I am able to understand their challenges from a personal point of view, which helps me in guiding my athletes through their individual challenges safely and confidently.

4. What advice would you give to a young person interested in tumbling? I began tumbling at the age of 12, and was the world champion by age 16. Age isn’t the determining factor in success, it’s the effort inside the individual that counts. You can do anything you set your mind to in life, and I want all of my athletes to leave our program believing they truly can do anything in life! My advice is that anyone interested in tumbling or trampoline call us at (815) 654-3867 or visit www.gartumblingteam.com for a free evaluation. We will do our very best to find the perfect match for you. It is a great program for kids of all ages and ability levels.

5. Question from last week’s “This week in The Times” participant, Anna Mulvany: How do you plan on building upon the success you achieved this year? We will continue to have fun growing and learning, always remembering that it’s the effort inside that counts, and that anything worth having isn’t handed to you: it’s earned.

“This week in The Times” is a weekly survey of people selected by The Rock River Times staff. The column does not accept unsolicited submissions.

From the July 7-13, 2010 issue

Whitney Miller was named 2010 Coach of the year during the Ceremonies at the 2010 USTA Nationals in Springfield IL. Voting is done by Judges and coaches. Click Here for a  brief bio and what was displayed during the voting process.