Tvisha Srikanth of Plainsboro recently won the Level 3 state championship in gymnastics in her age category — breaking the previous state record. A second grade student at Town Center School, she studies at Arena Gymnastics in Hamilton.
Srikanth won the overall first position in a state wide gymnastics competition organized by the USA Gymnastics Association, the national governing body for the sport of gymnastics in the United States.
“It is amazing to see bunch of 8 year olds applying themselves with passion, swinging from bars, flying off boards, doing tumbling passes on the floor, and performing inconceivable maneuvers on a four-inch-wide beam,” says Srikanth Srinivasan, her father. “They truly take your breath away. They are a spectacle to watch as they perform their event and then follow it with a sign off (called presenting) with arms outstretched, chests swelling with pride, and smiles beaming ear to ear.
The state championships, held on February 7 and 8, was attended by more than 50 gymnasts in each age category. Competitors qualify to compete over a period of a year participating in a series of invitational meets.
“Gymnastics demands and inculcates a strong sense of discipline, and seeing that manifest in a performance of an eight year old is an awesome experience,” says Anandhi Srikanth, her mother. “Watching these kids celebrate after the event with joyous cheers and childish banter was endearing, giving a glimpse of the child within the determined competitor.”
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