Young Gymnasts Score Highly at Competition in Florida

Know a young person or group who has accomplished something special, or achieved a milestone? They might be our next Whiz Kid(s).

This week, we are recognizing four young gymnasts from Basking Ridge who placed highly in the 23rd annual Gasparilla Classic held in late February in Tampa Bay, Fla. The students train at Rettig's Gymnastics in Cedar Knolls.

Whiz Kids of the Week: Courtney Spurlock, Jillian Falduto, Rachel Walker and Maggie Cooney of Basking Ridge

• Whiz Kids' Major Activity: The girls train on Saturdays at Rettig's Gymnastics in Cedar Knolls. They competed in the 23rd annual Gasparilla Classic for gymnastics, held on Feb 25, 26 and 27, 20 at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay, Fla.The three-day competition includes gyms from all over the US, Canada and South America.

• Whiz Kids' School/Church/Community Center: Courtney and Jillian are eighth graders at the William Annin Middle School. Rachel is in the fifth grade at Cedar Hill Elementary School, and Maggie is in the fifth grade at St. James School in Basking Ridge.
• Whiz Kids' Accomplishment: The team finished third, with contributions from Jillian’s 9.05 score on bars, 9.0 on vault and 8.95 on beam along with Courtney ‘s 8.925 on floor exercise and 8.4 on vault. Jillian finished with an all around score of 35.425 and Courtney finished with a 34.15, contributing to the team's overall score of 106.6. Rachel and Maggie competed in the level 5 division of the competition. Rachel earned a 9.025 on the balance beam, a 9.0 on floor and an all around score of 34.0. Maggie had a 9.0 on the beam, 9.625 on floor and a 35.475 in the all around.  

• Whiz Kids' Key to Awesomeness:  The gymnasts shows off a trophy earned by the Rettig’s Gymnastics Level 8 Team at the 2011 Gasparilla Classic. The Rettig’s Level 8 Team outscored Xtreme Gymnastics (Lee’s Summit, Missouri), Titans Gym (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia), Gulf Coast (Gulf Breeze, Florida) and Aerials East (Mechanicsville, Virginia) to finish third.