Bainbridge gymnasts medal at state

Published 1:30 pm Thursday, May 11, 2017

The Bainbridge Island Men’s Gymnastic Club has tested at the top levels in recent weeks, competing against the best in the state at the Washington State Men’s Gymnastics Championship and then, at the Region 2 Championship.

The state championship was held March 24-26 in Everett. More than 300 young men from around the state of Washington showed off their best skills on the vault, high bar, floor, rings, parallel bars and pommel horse during the state championship, a three-day competition.

The Bainbridge men’s team is Collin Hansen, Aidan Cretarolo, Jacob Hall, Owen Scheer, Connor Ziemba, Leo Koch, Charlie Phillips and Roland Koch. There may be larger teams in the state, nonetheless, the Bainbridge men again hit above their weight class and performed very well.

Against the best the state had to offer, the Bainbridge gymnasts left their best on the floor.

In the 6-year-old, Level 4, Division 2 group, Connor Ziemba took the bronze on pommel and vault.

In the Level 6, Division 2, 12 and up group, Owen Scheer scored a silver in pommel and parallel bars.

Jacob Hall stole the show, tumbling, jumping and swinging to gold on the floor, silver on still rings and bronze on vault and pommel. His consistent excellence placed him on the top podium with a gold in the all around as the best in the state at the level.

In 12 and up, Level 6, Division 1, teammate Aidan Cretarolo tumbled to a bronze on the floor, with fifth place on rings and the all-around.

Collin Hansen, the only Bainbridge competitor in the 15- to 18-year-old Junior Development category, took silver on floor, pommel, parallel bars and high bar.

He also earned bronze medals on rings and vault, and finished with a silver medal in the all around as the one of the best in the state.

At the close of competition, Leo Koch and Roland Koch at Level 4, Aidan Cretarolo at Level 6 and Collin Hansen each qualified to the Region 2 Regional Championships.

The regional championships were held April 7-9 at Everett Community College.

Once there, the Bainbridge team continued to show off their skills against the best gymnasts in the five-state region of Washington, Oregon, Montana, Alaska and Idaho. Leo Koch, in the Level 4, Division 1, 7-year-old group, scored fourth in pommel, sixth on vault and 10th overall.

His older brother Roland Koch, in the Level 4, Division 1, 10-year-old group, beat all comers and took home the Region 2 gold medal on the parallel bars, bronze on the still rings and tied for fifth in the all around.

In the Level 6, Division 1, 12-and-above group, teammate Aidan Cretarolo had one of his best days of the season, taking home a silver medal on the floor, bronze on the high bar and a bronze in the all around, and establishing himself as one of the best at his level in Region 2.

Not to be outdone, Collin Hansen in the Junior Development group also rocked and earned a bronze in the all around behind strong performances in every event, particularly the silver medals on the parallel bars and high bar.

The men’s 2017 competition season ended on a high note. The next season will start in December. In the meantime, team will continue to hone their skills through many hours of practice every week for the rest of the year.

The team gives a big thanks and congratulations to the Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District, its staff and the outstanding coaching of Bryan Garoutte and Tim Forro for their hard work and dedication, which resulted in another very successful season.