Kellam High School - Challenger Yearbook (Virginia Beach, VA)

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X A BEST Ll. ARUU D Dedication and determlna t1on is a must for any truly great xmnast 'wiany people do not realize the amount of time a xmnast devotes to his sport Lnlike other athletes a gym nast does not stop training rx hen his season is over He trams year round working to improve and perfect his moves Although a few months apart women s and men s gymnastics are similar yet different Female gymnasts must be very graceful and aglle They compete on various types of floor Their floor exercises are set to muslc and must have dance moves incorporated 1nto them Ballet and modern dance classes are often taken to help develop the girls skill Flexi bility is also an important qual ity for a gymnast In performing on the balance beam and the uneven bars the gymnast must be able to do some mandatory flexibility moves Inga Williams performed as Kellam s all around 1n competl tion As an all around she had to compete on each piece of equipment and the floor Being an all around places a great amount of stress on Inga She had to develop routines for each exercise and she had to have the stamina to be able to perform them all True to her form, Inga proved to be a great asset to the team The Unlted States has re cently seen a vast improvement in the performances of its men gymnasts 1n world competi t1on lust as these men lmprove so do the high school gymnasts because it is from the world competitors that they learn new moves and because of them they are encouraged to improve their old moves Kurt Thomas is one of the men that Kellam s gymnasts look up to The Thomas Flair a move named for its originator is a move that Ricky Crescim IS currently try Although the high school season for men s gymnastlcs begins ID late March Kellam s dedicated gymnasts train year round some competing on Gymstrada s team They have plans to obtain gymnastic scholarsh1ps to college and to one day compete in the Olym pics Men s gymnastics differs from women s gymnastics in that the men s routines require a tremendous amount of strength as well as ag1l1ty Like the women the men vault and perform on the floor however they also compete on the paral lel bars the pommel horse and the still rings The lack of interest ln men s gymnastics by the Virginia Beach high schools has proven to be the only handicap for the Kellam team This year the Beach has only three teams Kellam Kempsvnlle and First Colomal Last year the Kellam team competed in three meets district regional and state competitlon The addition of Kempsville to the competition tthls was Kempsvllle s first year of competitlonl also means an mcrease in the number of meets and more opportunity for the Kellam team to display its tal en Even though they are soph omores Bernie Blanks and Ricky Crescim are not new to peted last year due to a ruling which allows this As freshmen Ricky and Bernie fared quite well placing in the state com petition As a senior Iohn Cooney has three years of expe rience behind him as well as an abundance of natural talent He is currently deciding which college he wishes to attend a predominate factor being the men s gymnastics coach If one were to secretly ob serve one of their many work outs one would be completely astonished at the amount of tal ent each young man does pos sess and the encouragement they give each other The Kel lam men s gymnastic team is made of individuals each put ting forth his best for the team and for the personal satisfac- tion of being the best. 1 . . . - . - , Y A D Q gl. , ' L, y ' ' ' . Uv Y i ! V , , 1 ' I 1 n a equipment, as well as one the ing to master. the Kellam team. They com- 1 . , I ' 9 - v ' 9 . . . , - y 1 ' Liana Schaarschmidt prepares the musir, for the floor exercises. ...lf 41 Ricky Crescini straddles the parallel b ars. I I

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Ray Lewis, '78 state champ at 98 pounds, changed his weight class, and became the '79 district and regional champ at 112 pounds. WRESTLXNG. Front Row: Grant Mitchell, Ken Allgor, lohn Thumma, Ray Lewis, Steve Poppen- F DG Q dieck, Irvin lizzie Hunk R4lW.Mikl'lllTti1lIl,ivllkviiili les, lohn Matyiko. Terry Butts, Miki- lfnsteer . x5,mA,4, H w5,LL4,, M 4' . Z .mn H A ,..,,U., ,A on-4,47 Q f , 'L . - 1 :. ' , ' ' x. 'asf C9713 ., 1' . .1 Robert Smith battles for control in a match against PA. Calvin Ward seems to be on top of the situation. 89

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Bemie Blanks ilUlIl1lIlSlI'illl55 am I,-smut onthe still rings. GIRLS' flYMNAS1'll5. Mull! Hou, lzllvil lllqm- '.v ,gre 4-Ili lmgli kkvvvwvi ,lu-xl '.11'v-5 Ilia-of lngd lNllliHl'nS Swirrul Huw lxnllnln-1-11 lliuiwx N1 lm.iiwu lnluiill Xmx lfviliivwfm l'vflfur. P mm-l Iw- lane Gallup llloanlil, 'l'1nn Anile-rs Hur L Run lom Hu lu.i.nL.i luuiull lmvi Iluliwrti, ' A X ' l 'Y ,1-. if an V, ., , ., W-3, ,. .,, .. W o ' ' -'y Y'f - F-Q lm- , Y ., 'H . , n A if ' H as 4 I5 5 E 46 f I ,,.,mff'Vy if- .K 3.- 'sin 'WD Kathleen Cooney pauses before beginning her routine on the uneven bars. All around Iohn Cooney performs a A very difficult move, the Iron Cross, on ' ' , the still rings. -Q. 91