J'can gymnasts impress at Florida event

BY PAUL BURROWES Observer writer

Thursday, April 21, 2011

NISHIDA's Gymnastics and Fitness Center has again come up with the goods when Paige Burke, Chrystal Darling and Alyssa Chin delivered impressive performances earlier this month at the Super Rockstar Invitational in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

An AAU Level 3 competition featuring 12 teams, the three Jamaicans finished second, fourth and fifth overall respectively under the guidance of their gym director and coach Shin Nishida in the April 2-3 tournament hosted by Fort Lauderdale Stars Gymnastics.

Eight-year-old Burke clinched second-place overall of the 32 gymnasts participating by winning the balance beam with a score of 9.45 and finishing third in the floor exercise scoring 9.5.

Placing fifth on the uneven bars and sixth on the vault, Burke ended with a overall score of 37.6, beaten only by winner Sophia Lomasky of Fort Lauderdale Stars who won the title registering 38.05.

Seven-year-old Darling scored 37.25 for fourth overall, enhanced by a third-place finish in the floor exercise and fourth on the balance beam from 32 gymnasts.

Chin, aged eight, grabbed her fifth place overall with a score of 36.35 out of the 16 competitors in her age group.

Teams competing were Twister Gymnastics, Genie's, Twins Gymnastics, Gym Kidz CG, Rising Stars FL, Gold Coast, Gravity, YMCA Challengers, West Broward, Expression, along with Nishida's Gymnastics and hosts Fort Lauderdale Stars.

The exploits of the Nishida's girls come on the heels of the boys in late January, when they won the Level 8 team trophy at the Whitlow International Invitational in Orlando, Florida.

Daniel Williams, Jiovannua Jackson and Jamin Melbourne Levy starred at that tournament.