Ultimate Gymnastics raises the bar for success

Submitted by Jane Feely

It’s not only an annual fixture on the gymnastics calendar of Northern Illinois, it’s also a very successful fundraiser.

The Ultimate Wish Classic meet, hosted by Ultimate Gymnastics of Gurnee, allows gymnasts to showcase their routines while raising money for the Make A Wish Foundation of Northern Illinois — money that is used to grant wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses.

Now in its 12th year, the meet, held at Harper College in Palatine, goes from strength to strength. Preliminary estimates from this year’s meet suggest the weekend’s event brought in more than $50,000. When you add up all the money raised by Ultimate Gymnastics over the years, the total to date is more than $380,000.

On the competition floor, there were also some very notable successes. This meet provides Ultimate’s non-high school Level 8 and 9 athletes with their first outing of the season, and they rose to the occasion.

Dominant at Level 9 was Grayslake’s Ally Hoyer. She took gold on vault, bars and floor exercise, and finished first in the all-around, scoring 36.70. Her teammate, Lauren Marshall, secured silver medals on bars and floor and bronze on beam.

At Level 8, Sara Becker’s prowess on floor won her gold in the Senior A age group and third in the all-around, while Katie Schroeder placed third on bars and beam. In the Senior B age group, Caroline Grumhaus and Hunter Bode took the top two spots on floor, while Caroline also won gold on vault.

The Level 7s, coming off a strong performance at the Illinois Judges Cup, continued to dominate. Sonte Turnage beat the previous Ultimate club record for an all-around score when she chalked up a 38.475. In doing so, she placed first on bars (9.60) and beam (9.725), second on floor (9.60) and third on vault (9.55) in the Junior age group.

Her teammate, Ella Peter, equaled the club record on floor, scoring a 9.90. She also claimed the top spot on vault (9.675) and was second on bars and in the all-around.

Also at Level 7, Emily Whitis placed first on floor and second on beam in the Senior A age group. In the Senior B age group, Ximena Gomez took the top spot in the all-around, along with third places on bars and beam. Allison O’Connell won gold on floor and silver on vault and Julia Betman came away with silver medals on beam and floor exercise.

The Level 5 girls celebrated a first-place team finish at the meet, chalking up a number of medals along the way. In the Junior A age group, there was gold on bars for Emily Isabelli, plus bronze on floor. Olivia Roebuck earned a trio of silver medals on bars, floor and in the all-around, and Lyndsey Basara placed second on vault and third on bars and in the all-around.

In the Junior B age group, Riley Finnegan placed first in the all-around and on beam. She was also runner-up on bars and floor. Sabrina Panlaqui scored 9.50 to win uneven bars, and there were bronze medals for Abbie Dearinger on beam and Hannah McCue on floor and in the all-around.

In the Senior A age group at Level 5, Daniella Strauss was consistent across all events, winning all-around gold with a 36.525. She placed first on vault and beam, second on floor and third on bars. Delaney Jones won gold on vault, bars and floor and bronze in the all-around.

The Level 6 girls also celebrated a team first place thanks, in part, to an outstanding performance by Ally Weihs in the Junior age group. She placed first on beam, floor and in the all-around and took bronze on bars. In the Senior B age group, there was gold for Leah Medenwaldt on vault and silver on floor and in the all-around. Teammates Gaby Inawat placed first on beam and Faye Tubman won bronze on bars, floor and in the all-around.

In the Senior B age group, Kylie Miller won gold on floor exercise and Nora Steinlein placed second on bars.

Individual scores for the girls are as follows:

Level 5

Junior A age group

Ÿ Lyndsey Basara (Gurnee): Vault: 9.05 (2nd); Bars: 9.45 (3rd); Beam: 9.30 (4th); Floor: 8.95 (6th); All-around: 36.75 (3rd).

Ÿ Kyleigh Boomer (Lindenhurst): Vault: 7.75; Bars: 9.325 (4th); Beam: 8.725; Floor: 8.85 (8th); All-around: 34.65.

Ÿ Abbie Bosko (Wadsworth): Vault: 8.625 (6th); Bars: 8.50; Beam: 9.20 (7th); Floor: 8.875 (7th); All-around: 35.20 (10th).

Ÿ Olivia Fletcher (Lindenhurst): Vault: 8.40; Bars: 8.15; Beam: 8.65; Floor: 8.50; All-around: 33.70.

Ÿ Kayleigh Glickley (Lake Villa): Vault: 8.50 (10th); Bars: 9.20 (6th); Beam: 9.05; Floor: 8.425; All-around: 35.175.

Ÿ Gracie Gnatt (Zion): Vault: 8.85 (3rd); Bars: 9.275 (5th); Beam: 9.275 (5th); Floor: 8.70 (9th); All-around: 36.10 (6th).

Ÿ Emily Isabelli (Lake Villa): Vault: 8.75 (5th); Bars: 9.55 (1st); Beam: 8.85; Floor: 9.325 (3rd); All-around: 36.475 (4th).

Ÿ Claire Kauppila (Gurnee): Vault: 8.35; Bars: 8.875 (9th); Beam: 7.75; Floor: 8.50; All-around: 33.475.

Ÿ Olivia Roebuck (Grayslake): Vault: 8.775 (4th); Bars: 9.475 (2nd); Beam: 9.10 (10th); Floor: 9.40 (2nd); All-around: 36.75 (2nd).

Junior B age group

Ÿ Elyse Ball (Lindenhurst): Vault: 8.475 (9th); Bars: 8.05; Beam: 8.55; Floor: 8.75 (7th); All-around: 33.825.

Ÿ Abigail Dearinger (Gurnee): Vault: 7.65; Bars: 8.85 (10th); Beam: 9.30 (3rd); Floor: 8.85 (5th); All-around: 34.65 (9th).

Ÿ Riley Finnegan (Lindenhurst): Vault: 8.75 (5th); Bars: 9.475 (2nd); Beam: 9.475 (1st); Floor: 9.275 (2nd); All-around: 36.95 (1st).

Ÿ Hannah McCue (Gurnee): Vault: 8.75 (4th); Bars: 9.25 (5th); Beam: 9.05 (5th); Floor: 9.10 (3rd); All-around: 36.15 (3rd).

Ÿ Sabrina Panlaqui (Round Lake): Vault: 8.45 (10th); Bars: 9.50 (1st); Beam: 8.85 (9th); Floor: 9.05 (4th); All-around: 35.85 (4th).

Ÿ Eileen Tarcha (Lake Villa): Vault: 8.70 (6th); Bars: 9.00 (9th); Beam: 8.925 (6th); Floor: 8.775 (6th); All-around: 35.40 (6th).

Senior A age group

Ÿ Sarah Grabowski (Wadsworth): Vault: 8.40 (6th); Bars: 8.25 (8th); Beam: 8.475 (7th); Floor: 8.70 (3rd); All-around: 33.825 (8th).

Ÿ Delaney Jones (Gurnee): Vault: 9.00 (1st); Bars: 9.375 (1st); Beam: 7.80 (9th); Floor: 9.15 (1st); All-around: 35.325 (3rd).

Ÿ Daniella Strauss (Gurnee): Vault: 9.00 (1st); Bars: 9.05 (3rd); Beam: 9.525 (1st); Floor: 8.95 (2nd); All-around: 36.525 (1st).

Ÿ Natalie Warnes (Antioch): Vault: 7.65 (10th); Bars: 8.725 (7th); Beam: 9.125 (2nd); Floor: 8.45 (6th); All-around: 33.95 (7th).

The Level 5 team took first place.

Level 6

Junior A age group

Ÿ Aaliyah Humphreys (Gurnee): Vault: 9.275 (2nd); Bars: 8.45 (9th); Beam: 8.55; Floor: 8.775 (10th); All-around: 35.05 (9th).

Ÿ Grace Miller (Libertyville): Vault: 8.85; Bars: 8.85 (5th); Beam: 9.175 (5th); Floor: 9.00 (8th); All-around: 35.875 (7th).

Ÿ Sylvia Raquel (Libertyville): Vault: 9.15 (5th); Bars: 8.45 (9th); Beam: 9.00 (6th); Floor: 9.20 (4th); All-around: 35.80 (8th).

Junior B age group

Ÿ Lexi Miller (Lindenhurst): Vault: 8.775 (10th); Bars: 8.325 (5th); Beam: 9.25 (2nd); Floor: 8.45 (9th); All-around: 34.80 (7th).

Ÿ Kylie Skie (Libertyville): Vault: 9.00 (6th); Bars: 8.30 (6th); Beam: 9.20 (3rd); Floor: 8.85 (5th); All-around: 35.35 (4th).

Ÿ Ally Weihs (Lake Villa): Vault: 9.025 (5th); Bars: 8.55 (3rd); Beam: 9.40 (1st); Floor: 9.325 (1st); All-around: 36.30 (1st).

Senior A age group

Ÿ Dana Hutter (Gurnee): Vault: 8.75; Bars: 8.60 (4th); Beam: 8.325; Floor: 8.875 (5th); All-around: 34.55 (8th).

Ÿ Gaby Inawat (Waukegan): Vault: 9.025 (8th); Bars: 8.525 (5th); Beam: 9.325 (1st); Floor: 8.45; All-around: 35.325 (5th).

Ÿ Leah Medenwaldt (Grayslake): Vault: 9.35 (1st); Bars: 8.60 (4th); Beam: 9.20 (4th); Floor: 9.225 (2nd); All-around: 36.375 (2nd).

Ÿ Jessica Pasquesi (Lake Forest): Vault: 8.825; Bars: 8.45 (6th); Beam: 8.00; Floor: 9.05 (4th); All-around: 34.325 (10th).

Ÿ Faye Tubman (Gurnee): Vault: 9.125 (7th); Bars: 8.70 (3rd); Beam: 9.15 (5th); Floor: 9.20 (3rd); All-around: 36.175 (3rd).

Senior B age group

Ÿ Brenna Geier (Gurnee): Vault: 8.725 (10th); Bars: 8.55 (3rd); Beam: 8.575 (7th); Floor: 8.45 (9th); All-around: 34.30 (7th).

Ÿ Kylie Miller (Lindenhurst): Vault: 9.125 (4th); Bars: 7.90; Beam: 7.90; Floor: 9.375 (1st); All-around: 34.30 (7th).

Ÿ Gabrielle Panlaqui (Round Lake): Vault: 9.075 (5th); Bars: 8.05 (10th); Beam: 7.95; Floor: 8.95 (4th); All-around: 34.025 (8th).

Ÿ Nora Steinlein (Gurnee): Vault: 8.775 (8th); Bars: 8.60 (2nd); Beam: 7.25; Floor: 7.40; All-around: 32.025.

The Level 6 team took second place.

Level 7

Junior age group

Ÿ Chapin Grumhaus (Lake Forest): Vault: 9.15 (7th); Bars: 7.85; Beam: 9.075; Floor: 9.25 (6th); All-around: 35.325.

Ÿ Ella Peter (Waukegan): Vault: 9.675 (1st); Bars: 9.55 (2nd); Beam: 8.50; Floor: 9.90 (1st); All-around: 37.625 (2nd).

Ÿ Sonte Turnage (Lindenhurst): Vault: 9.55 (3rd); Bars: 9.60 (1st); Beam: 9.725 (1st); Floor: 9.60 (2nd); All-around: 38.475 (1st).

Senior A age group

Ÿ Samantha Wahlers (Round Lake Beach): Vault: 9.50 (5th); Bars: 8.60 (10th); Beam: 9.275 (4th); Floor: 9.475 (5th); All-around: 36.85 (6th).

Ÿ Emily Whitis (Lindenhurst): Vault: 9.00 (10th); Bars: 8.95 (7th); Beam: 9.475 (2nd); Floor: 9.675 (1st); All-around: 37.10 (5th).

Senior B age group

Ÿ Julia Betman (Northbrook): Vault: 9.325 (7th); Bars: 8.35 (9th); Beam: 9.45 (2nd); Floor: 9.425 (2nd); All-around: 36.55 (5th).

Ÿ Ximena Gomez (Waukegan): Vault: 9.225 (8th); Bars: 9.375 (3rd); Beam: 9.35 (3rd); Floor: 9.35 (5th); All-around: 37.30 (1st).

Ÿ Allison O’Connell (Lake Villa): Vault: 9.625 (2nd); Bars: 7.80; Beam: 8.60; Floor: 9.675 (1st); All-around: 35.70 (9th).

Ÿ Samantha Sansweet (Deerfield): Vault: 9.40 (6th); Bars: 7.85; Beam: 9.125; Floor: 9.175 (6th); All-around: 35.55 (8th).

The Level 7 team took first place.

Level 8

Senior A age group

Ÿ Sara Becker (Lindenhurst): Vault: 8.725 (4th); Bars: 8.675 (5th); Beam: 9.25 (4th); Floor: 9.30 (1st); All-around: 35.95 (3rd).

Ÿ Katie Schroeder (Grayslake): Vault: 8.55 (7th); Bars: 8.85 (3rd); Beam: 9.325 (3rd); Floor: 9.20 (4th); All-around: 35.925 (4th).

Senior B age group

Ÿ Hunter Bode (Lake Villa): Vault: 8.625 (7th); Bars: 6.65; Beam: 8.45 (6th); Floor: 9.15 (2nd); All-around: 32.875 (6th).

Ÿ Caroline Grumhaus (Lake Forest): Vault: 9.325 (1st); Bars: 8.00 (7th); Beam: scratch; Floor: 9.225 (1st).

Level 9

Junior age group

Ÿ Ally Hoyer (Grayslake): Vault: 9.375 (1st); Bars: 9.20 (1st); Beam: 8.55 (5th); Floor: 9.575 (1st); All-around: 36.70 (1st).

Ÿ Lauren Marshall (Winthrop Harbor): Vault: 8.50 (7th); Bars: 8.10 (2nd); Beam: 8.95 (3rd); Floor: 9.20 (2nd); All-around: 34.75 (4th).

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