Gymnastics show floors large audience at Recreation Center

On the morning of May 27, over 300 gymnastics students showcased Olympian feats to a packed audience attending the 35th annual Rockville Centre Recreation Center gymnastics show. The theme of this year's exhibit, "Tumble in the Jungle," featured students ranging in age from kindergarten through high school. Under the guidance of Karen O’Connor, director of the gymnastics program, students put on three different demonstrations of 80 minutes each. Ginger Creegan, the gymnastics program coordinator, declared that O’Connor and the gymnasts alike did a “bang-up job” in the show.

The three demonstrations were modeled after four Olympic gymnastic events — floor exercises, uneven bars, balance beam, and vault. According to Creegan, the show was a culmination of weekly instructional classes which ran from September through May. Students selected which of the demonstrations to participate in, based on the day and time they were available to practice.

New this year to the long-standing Rec Center gymnastics program were training and competitive teams that competed in the Long Island Independence Gymnastic League. These select groups met twice a week throughout the year for intensive training. Students in the training groups participated in the gymnastics show.