Alpena saw competition from many teams, including one coached by Olympic gymnast Tatiana Gutsa.

“Holy cow, we beat out Tatiana Gutsu’s Gym (T.G.G.A.) for the State Championship, ” Geri Samp, head coach for Alpena’s AAU Gymnastics team, said.

Tatiana Gutsu is a Ukrainian former gymnast from the Soviet Union and the winner of the all-around title in the 1992 Summer Olympics.

“Tatiana knows discipline and hard work, and is able to indoctrinate that into her gymnasts,” Samp said. “Her teams are strong and we beat them for the first time.”

Courtesy Photo The Alpena AAU Xcel Silver Gymnasts stand together after their state championship fourth-place finish. Pictured from left to right are the following: Front row: Rachel Grider, Cailyn Peters, Brooklyn Finch, Addison Adrian, and Madelyn Coffman; Back row: Livvy Spangle and Elise Bud.

The AAU Xcel Gold gymnasts won the state championship on Saturday, April 20. The team was led by seniors Grace Samp and Savanna Spangle and junior Callie Brousseau. Samp took second place on floor with a 9.80 and third place all-around. Spangle placed first on vault with a 9.10 and second on beam with a 9.60. Brousseau earned four first-place finishes on bars (9.60), beam (9.65), floor (9.80), and all-around (37.75). Also contributing greatly to the team were Abigail Reinhardt (third place finish on vault 8.65 and beam 9.30), Clare Lacross (second place finish on vault 9.05 and third place on beam 9.30), Libby Misiak (second place on bars 9.30 and third place on beam 9.30), Lydia Allen (first place on vault 9.15 and third place on bars 9.50), and Aryanna Page (fourth place fish on vault 9.0 and a 9.40 on the floor).

The Xcel Platinum team placed second. Leading the team was junior Faith Dragiewicz with three first-place finishes (vault 9.05, bars 9.30, and all-around 36.90). Sophomore, Paige Samp earned three third-place finishes (vault 8.75, bars 9.10, and beam 9.20). Junior, Brook Smith took first place on floor with a 9.80 and second place on beam with a 9.30.

The Xcel Silver team placed fourth. The Silver team was led by freshman Madelyn Coffman earning first place finishes on beam (9.60) and floor (9.80). She also took second place on bars (9.30) and in the all-around 37.45. The rest of the Silver gymnasts include Cailyn Peters (earned third place on floor 9.65), Livvy Spangle (earned fifth place on floor 9.50), Brooklyn Finch (earned first place on bars 9.50), Addison Adrian (earned third place on vault 8.95), Rachel Grider (earned two second place finishes on vault 9.05 and beam 9.60), and Elis Bud (earned a 9.40 on the floor).

“This is a fantastic way to end the regular season!” Geri Samp said. “The girls are excited and Billy and I couldn’t be more proud. Eleven of our gymnasts will be continuing onto Daytona Beach, Florida to compete in the National Championships on June 19-22. More exciting things to come.”

Courtesy Photo The Alpena AAU Xcel Platinum Gymnasts stand together after their state championship second-place finish. Pictured from left to right are the following: Paige Samp, Faith Dragiewicz, and Brooke Smith.