WESTFIELD – Massachusetts state gymnastics championships happen just about every weekend in the state beginning the first week of March through the early part of May. This is because of the thousands of athletes that participate at a variety of different levels and age groups throughout the state. This weekend’s competition is for the highest levels offered at the Junior Olympic level. The only level of competition higher in the United States is the Elite Program, which is where the Olympians are.
The state championships are a stepping stone to larger and more prestigious events, and an athlete must qualify from the state meet to the regional competition, and from the regional competition onto the national meet.
This weekend, Roots Gymnastics has athletes qualified to compete in Levels 8 (six athletes), 9 (one athlete), and 10 (six athletes) in the Junior Olympic State Championships at Shrewsbury High School in Shrewsbury.
Competitions start at 8 a.m. Saturday morning and run all day then resume again Sunday then wrapping up that evening.
If an athlete qualifies based on their performance this weekend they can then go on to higher competitions: Level 10 competitive season culminating at the Jr. Olympic National Championships (Fort Worth, TX – May 5-8), the Level 9 Eastern National Championships (Virginia Beach, VA – April 27-May 1), and Level 8 Regional Championships (Northborough, MA – April 16-17).
