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Top gymnasts to compete at amateur tournament
Three area teams will compete at the Fitch High meet.
AUSTINTOWN — Three area teams — Ohio Gymnastics Institute of Austintown, Olympic Dreams of Liberty and Youngstown Gymnastics of Boardman — will be competing in the boys Ohio State Amateur Gymnastics Tournament Saturday and Sunday at Fitch High School.
More then 300 athletes, representing teams from Dayton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo, are also entered.
Three sessions are scheduled Saturday, starting at 10 a.m. The competition resumes Sunday at 10 a.m. Tickets for each session are $10.
“For some of the athletes that are going to compete it’s a big deal, even though this is as far as they might get,” said meet director Ron Ferris of Austintown. “For others it’s a stepping stone.”
This is the third time in the last 12 years the event has been held t Fitch High.
Competing for OGI will be Fitch High juniors Brian Cirbus, 17-years old, and Zachary Leger, 17, in level 10 (16-18 year olds); Fitch freshman Donald Yeager, 14, level 10 (14-15); Brian Wolfe, 13, an eighth-grader at Jackson-Milton, level 5 (10-older); Jacob Colon, 8, a third grade student at Stephens School in Niles, and Garrett Miller, 8, third grade at Southeast School in Diamond in level 5 (8-year olds).
Boys competing for Olympic Dreams are Sammie McDonald and Grason Zinni, both 5 years old, level 4 (7-under); Jordan Gregory, 9, Justin Jickess, 9, level 5 (9-year olds); Dylan King, 7, and Aidan Warga, 7, level 5 (7 year olds); Brandon Jones, 13, level 5 (10-older); David Brian Whisler, 11, level 5 (10-older); Taylor Burdman, 9, level 6 (8-9), and David Toussaint, 8, level 7 (10-11).
YGB athletes competing are Dylan Colangelo, 6, Level 4 (7-under); Joey Fraftaroli and Noah Silver, 8, level 4 (8-older), and Nicholas Jama and Thomas Tindell, 12, level 7 (12-older).
Levels 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, depending on score, move on to the regional championships at Columbus April 12-13. The Junior Olympic National Championships are May 7-11 in Battle Creek, Mich., with the US Championships at Houston, Texas May 22-25. The Olympic Trials will be June 19-22 in Philadelphia, Pa. and the Olympic Games are in Beijing, China August 8-24.