A town known for its’ hospitality made good on its’ reputation with a highly successful 2013 
YMCA National Gymnastics Championship and Invitational held June 25-29. This annual event featured an Olympic style Grand March in and Opening Ceremony that included some 6,000 attendees,of those 1,900 were gymnasts ages five to 14 who enjoyed a week long event where individual competitors and teams competed for the traditional Bronze, Silver and Gold medals.
In the end however, it was the historic town of Savannah that was the biggest winner as this multi-day event brought visitors to a city that accepts guests with open arms. While the Y-USA hosts various travel gymnastic events around the country each year, the National Gymnastics Competition is one of their most prestigious events.This year’s competition was hosted by the YMCA of Coastal Georgia.
Carol Tanrath, Island’s YMCA Gymnastics Director,Technical Advisor to the YMCA of the USA National Gymnastics and Meet Director for this large competition expressed her great satisfaction with the event that took well over two years in planning. Tanrath commented that while the event had come to Savannah in the past, this year’s YMCA National Gymnastics Competition was the largest ever held.
When asked about the details to pull off such a large multi-day program Tanrath smiled and said, “ I am so proud of our city for what turned out to be a wonderful event. We had projected revenues of $4.7 mil to impact Savannah and after the competition we believe that we exceeded that amount, as teams arrived early and filled the city for several days. I can’t say enough about how the City of Savannah assisted with bus and water taxi service which really made this event work. From the friendly and accommodating travel and hotel arrangements to the work and coordination of over 1,200 volunteers the event ran extremely smooth.” As Carol explained, events like this require a bid process, Greater Savannah Sports Council, Visit Savannah, and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia coordinated a successful bid to host the event. “Their continued work through the many details of planning and conducting the event” said Tanrath “made a special event that I know gave the participants and their families many good memories.
It is a once in a lifetime experience and it rewards them for their hard work, sacrifices and dedication.” Keynote speaker and 2004 Olympic silver medalist, Courtney McCool Griffeth was also a big plus for the event as her words of motivation and encouragement lifted the many competitors as they enjoyed the festivities of the Opening Ceremony at Forsyth Park.
This year 104 teams from 24 States participated in the even. After they marched across the stage for introduction, the athletes sat in the park on beach mats that were provided in their goody bags to watch the presentation. After introductions and welcomes thy enjoyed dinner carnival style games and live music. A gracious Courtney McCool Griffeth took the time to visit with many of the athletes who quickly gathered around the Olympic Champion as she strolled through a full Forsyth Park. The state of Georgia had strong representation. The host team from Savannah (Island’s Family YMCA), was joined with other teams from Atlanta, Moultrie and Valdosta.
Besides the success of the competition, Tanrath made note that the Y-USA helps to assist athletes that need financial support in order to participate in this event.Over $6000 in financial scholarships was awarded to ensure that no one was unable to compete based on the inability to pay. “Giving back” said Carol “is always a priority and we were glad we could assist a team that otherwise could not have come.” Did our team bring home any medals? Tanrath beamed right up and with enthusiasm said “Yes we did, 96 in all!”The Island’s Family YMCA team did very well. Lane Vacala, 12 years old advanced to the Level 8 finals where she placed 13th All Around out of the 486 participating athletes. 
The following Islands athletes won first place All Around in their levels: Haley Harvey, Jake Meiners, Rylie Tanrath,Callie Kanoy, and Haleigh Cauley.
The festivities for the week included a special High School “Senior Reception in which Randy Bugos, President/CEO of the YMCA of Coastal Georgia, and 2004 Olympian, Courtney McCool Griffeth were the keynote speakers. A total of seventy-seven Seniors were recognized and two College Scholarships were presented. Seniors eligible for the scholarship had to have been a YMCA gymnast for 5 years, have a 3.2 GPA or higher, submit an essay, and have a letter of recommendation. A delightful evening which included parents and coaches was had by all. Carol was delighted to report that the event went so well that Savannah stands a very good chance of hosting the event again in 2017. “It was just a great week” said Tanrath, “lots of hard work but the kids had a great time and I know the parents and volunteers were excited in the efforts to make this a memorable competition. This type of national competition gives the children a chance to travel around the country and is a big reward for the hard work and practice they put into gymnastics.”
Being a true coach, Tanrath reminded me of the benefits of gymnastics for our youth. Stating that it has been proven by USAG that preschool aged children who participate in preschool gymnastics will have improved reading retention in their school years. As many schools in Georgia add gymnastics to their athletics program, this is just the tip of an iceberg for a sport that creates some of our best athletes. Kudos to our YMCAs for their continued efforts to make athletics fun and rewarding no matter what your age.
