by Dave Delgado
Guam - In gymnastics news the Island Twisters sent 5 gymnasts to compete at the 37th Annual Aloha Gymfest in Kailua recently. The girls brought home 6 gold, 6 silver and 3 bronze medals from the competition. Derrick Heath with Island Twisters said, "We competed against 6 different countries. Japan Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the mainland U.S.A and Hawaii. We took 5 girls to the competition to represent Guam and this was the third year and they came back with spectacular results and all of them trained very hard for the competition and we are looking forward to next year and sending our girls at a higher level to compete."
The girls said that they had a great time and look forward to next year's trip looking to step up in competition. Aisha Tangi, who placed 2nd in the All-Around event, told KUAM Sports, "It was an amazing experience and I was able to meet so many new gymnasts and represent my island of Guam which was the best part. I think the most memorable moment was to be able to compete on beam and getting a 9.7 because I wasn't really expecting that at all."
I laria Williams-Duenas, who was 1st in All-Around, said, "It was really fun and I liked it because I was representing Guam ad I felt like I did really well. I want to be in the 2020 gymnastics Olympics."
14-year-old Olivia Ferguson competed at the event last year and said that despite knowing what to expect she was still nervous. She said, "I was still a little nervous because I was competing at a different level now and before I had a lot of ankle problems so I was a little nervous on how the results were going to turn out but overall I was very surprised and very happy with all of my results."
Abriel Slater, who placed 2nd All-Around said, "It was my first time going to Hawaii in my life so it was a big experience for me and my family. It gives me something to do and keeps me healthy. I see myself going into the Olympic gym and competing in level 10."
Reina White, 3rd All-Around, said, "I met a lot of people around the world. Australia, Alaska and Japan. It was really nervous and very scared."
