Spring Hill Gymnastics holds annual event for athletes

About 300 leotard-clad gymnasts converged upon Elgin this weekend to compete in Spring Hill Gymnastics' Co-Ed Classic Invitational.

Athletes ages 6-17 flipped, hurtled and stuck landings for qualifying scores and to gain entry to state, regional and national competitions.

The 11 area gyms represented include the American Academy of Gymnastics in Wheeling, Bartlett Gymnastics Center, Gymkhana in Hanover Park, Palatine Gymnastics Club and Naperville Gymnastics.

The annual event is designed to be both competitive and fun, said Mary Joe Roehrig, Spring Hill's owner and head coach.

"It's not do or die," she said. "The season isn't over for a kid if she doesn't do well."

In addition to awards given to the top scoring athletes, Spring Hill added a number of special awards to the competition, such as participant awards, best artistry and best amplitude, she said.

Roehrig, who has owned the academy since 2002, said about five months of planning went into this weekend's competition.

"Our parents are really involved -- some were here until 10:30 last night finishing with setup and decorations. So much enthusiasm from them really gets the kids excited," she said.

Carolyn Dunne, a 13-year old student at Elgin's Abbott Middle School, has been training at Spring Hill Gymnastics since the gym opened. Now a level seven gymnast, Dunne said competitions make her "more excited than nervous" these days.

Carolyn said she hoped to earn one of the highest scores for the vault event but was simply excited to compete in her first meet of the new year.

"I have a lot of friends here. It's one of my favorite places to be," she said.

Events continue through Sunday evening. For more information, visit springhillgymnastics.com.