The Westfield YMCA Gymnastics team has been doing some wonderful things that I feel should be acknowledged in your paper.
Recently, we had an invitational meet called “Flip for Flight” which the proceeds (about $2,300.00) were donated to cancer research, this is the second year we have put on this meet and last year we donated approximately $1,800.00 towards cancer research. We are very proud of that accomplishment.
This Saturday we will be hosting the Mardi Gras invitational meet for the upper levels. The gymnasts will be throwing beads to the crowd with traditional music for their march in, its such a fun atmosphere for the kids and families.
Soon we will have the Jumping Jelly Bean invitational meet for the younger gymnasts, the Easter Bunny even makes an appearance. The coaches and team go all out with all of the meets, but the invitational meets in particular. Gymnasts come from all over New England to participate in these meets. They are very well run by our wonderful coaches, team members and family. We also have an amazing food table that teams from all over rave about!
Many of our gymnasts will be attending the National YMCA gymnastics meet in Wisconsin in June, which is a huge accomplishment for the gymnasts. This is not something we get to do every year and being that we have five gymnasts graduating high school this year it will be a great send off for them. Many of them have been with the team since they were very young, one in particular since she was three years old! The coaches are so talented, caring and helpful with all of the kids, we are so very lucky to have them.
We are like one big family which I am very proud to say, we are part of the Westfield YMCA Gymnastics team. My granddaughter (who we have custody of) has been with the team since 2010 and took classes prior to us gaining custody of her. She was an “off the wall crazy girl” before joining the team and now is a junior in high school, very focused A-B student and has plans to go to college to study Oceanographer/Marine Biology.
Jeanne Lamica Pandoli
Proud Gramma of a Westfield YMCA Gymnast
