Marissa turned in one of her strongest performances of the year against some of the strongest gymnasts in the state this past weekend. Starting on bars, she had no major errors and earned a 9.325. Marissa remained consistent for the rest of the meet scoring a 9.650 on beam, 9.450 on floor, and 9.500 on vault. Her total score of 37.925 earned Marissa the all-around state championship.
Marissa traveled to Sandusky, Ohio for her first meet in a month. The four weeks off were evident when she came off the beam for the first time all season and scored an 8.850 on vault. While she scored her lowest scores of the season on these two events, she earned her highest scores of the season on floor and bars with a 9.750 and 9.825 respectively. Her all-around score of 37.425 was good enough for first place.
Marissa experienced ChiTown with her mom, grandmother, and cousin this past weekend. Arriving Thursday, they visited the American Girl store where each of the girls had their doll’s hair done and purchased several outfits. Next, Marissa visited the Nike Store whose five stories impressed. Next came a visit to the Willis Tower where the girls posed for pictures. On Friday, Marissa competed at the Navy Pier and scored an impressive 37.625 for first place all-around.
Marissa spent the weekend working at the Buckeye Classic with her mother and older sister. During competition, she overcame a slight injury suffered during practice earlier in the week and a sluggish warm-up to turn in another strong all around performance with a all-around score of 37.400. She took first place on UB, BB, FE, and AA however the highlight of her weekend was hanging out with Nia Dennis and Gabby Douglas while our level 10 gymnasts were competing.
Marissa started off the weekend traveling with the family to watch the Alabama gymnastics team take on Kentucky Friday night in Lexington. The Tide won the meet and Marissa got to see a former Buckeye gymnast who competes for the Wildcats. She also got a couple of pics with the Alabama gymnasts. On Sunday, she turned in a strong meet at the Circle of Stars in Indianapolis where she had her highest score to date at any level: 38.275 for 1st place in the all-around.
Marissa competed this weekend in the Coaches Spectacular hosted by Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy. Marissa hit every routine but tough judges scored gymnasts low all day. As a result, her scores were lower than our inexperienced eyes thought they should have been. Still, she scored a 37.025 all-around and took third place in the all-around. She also made the event finals where she scored 9.300 on beam.
Marissa and her mom traveled to Atlanta for the Atlanta Crown Invitational. Marissa once again had a strong meet taking first place on vault and beam, and second on bars, floor, and all-around with a 38.075. The highlight of the weekend though was seeing her dad who surprised her by taking leave from a deployment with the Army to attend the meet.You can see a video of the reunion here.
Marissa and the rest of the family headed to Nassau, Bahamas for a week of fun and sun at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island. Oh...she had her first meet of the season too. Marissa overcame some jitters in warm-up and had a strong meet taking first place on vault, bars, beam, and all-around. She also took 2nd on the floor. The Atlantis Crown Invitational is the largest meet in the Caribbean. Great job, Marissa.
Marissa returned from TOPs A Camp at the National Team Training Center in Huntsville, TX. She tested for the team in October and was one of only 54 gymnasts named to the team. All TOPs gymnasts are between the ages of 8-10. Courtesy of USAG, Marissa traveled with Coach Fernando Villa, to Texas where she trained and worked on improving their skill. Coach Villa also informed us that Marissa also scored 9th on the physical abilities testing. Great job, Marissa.
Marissa returned from the National Team Training Center in Huntsville, TX where she attended an Elite Developmental Camp with teammates Shania (l) and Nikki (r). She was invited to attend when her coach, Kittia Carpenter sent a skills video to Valeri Luikin who is the elite athlete development coordinator. Under the supervision of national team coaches, Marissa worked on improving her skills and received some suggestions for upgrades in her routines. Great job, Marissa.
