Two FGA gymnasts in region event

Over 430 gymnasts from across the Northwest are competing in this year's Region 2 Gymnastics Championships in Whitefish starting today.

Flathead Valley has two competitors, 17-year-old Margaret Cornell and 13-year-old Natalie Newberry, who will face off against others female athletes from Montana, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and Hawaii. The event runs through Sunday.

"These are the 400 best gymnasts in the Northwest, and some are the best in the nation," said Steve Henneford, the President of the Flathead Gymnastics Academy, which is hosting the event at Whitefish High School.

For Level 7 and 8 athletes, this is the final event in this year's competitive season, which began in January. Level 9 and 10 gymnasts will have their last chance at qualifying for Junior Olympic Nationals.

This is the second time that the regional championships is being held in the area, and Henneford said fans of the sport will have an opportunity to see the well-known events that are showcased in the Olympics.

"It's a four-ring circus," he said. "You aren't going to have the chance to see gymnastics like this any time soon."

Female competitors ages 8-18 will compete in the vault, uneven bars, balance beams and floor exercises from Level 7 to Level 10, the highest qualification.

Both Cornell and Newberry, who are members of the Flathead gym, are in the Level 7 events, which begin warm-ups starting at 5:30 p.m. today.

Level 9 events will take place Friday followed by a team showdown that Henneford said will be one of the event's highlights. Starting at 6 p.m., the top eight members in the Level 8 group from each state will compete in a team-scoring showdown.

"It's kind of an all-star event," Henneford said.

"That's a lot of fun. They kind of throw the rule book out on that one and kind of score it like a college meet. People like to see high scores, so they will be giving some 10s. There's a lot of energy in that (event)."

On Saturday morning, Level 8 athletes will have a session followed by the Level 10s at 1 p.m.

Events will continue on Sunday as the regional wraps-up with two sessions. Awards will be given after the sessions are completed.

The regional championships were last held in the valley four years ago. The event was a big success, Henneford said, which is why it made its way back to Whitefish this year.

The last local gymnast to qualify for junior nationals was Emily Long six years ago.