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Madison Area YMCA Marketing & Communications 
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For Immediate Release

The Madison Area YMCA Rosettes Gymnastics Team to Compete in the 2017 YMCA National Gymnastics Championships in Savannah; Rosettes Wrapped Up the Year with Annual Gymnastics Banquet

CAPTION: Pictured at the Annual Madison Area YMCA Gymnastics Banquet (L-R) Madison Area YMCA Gymnastics Director Ellen Gavin; Rosette Emma Dresner; Madison Area YMCA Gymnastics Coach Vladimir “Professor” Peleksic; Rosette Maddie Gapusan; Madison Area YMCA Associate Gymnastics Director Christina Lopez and Rosette Jessica Sterkel

(Madison, NJ) June 15, 2017 – Seventy-three gymnasts on the Madison Area YMCA’s Rosettes Gymnastics Team will travel to Savannah, Georgia, to compete in the 2017 YMCA National Gymnastics Championships. The girls range in age from 7 to 18. It’s the largest team that the Madison Area YMCA has ever sent.

The Rosettes will join approximately 2,000 gymnasts and 200 coaches from more than 100 YMCAs across the country for the competition at the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center from Thursday, June 29 through Sunday, July 2.

At the recently held Annual Gymnastics Banquet, Rosettes who are high school seniors were honored. They also each took a turn speaking about their experiences being on the team. Three of the graduating seniors included Emma Dresner, who has been a Rosette for seven years. She said that being a Rosette taught her so much that she could never list everything. “A few of the lessons that I learned included how to balance the many aspects of my life, how to manage my time, how to push myself, how to have confidence in my abilities and how to be a good teammate and friend,” said Emma, adding, “Every coach, gymnast and parent on this team has impacted my life in such a way that I would not be who I have become without them.”

Maddie Gapusan, another graduating senior said that being a Rosette was the most special and profound experience of her life. She addressed all levels and age groups of the team, encouraging them to pave their own road. Acknowledging that their journeys will be twisting and winding, she said, “It’s OK, because the road to success is always under construction. On a team like this, you’ll have so much help along the way. I was never afraid to reach out to friends, coaches and family…so be humble in your confidence, yet courageous in your character. Set a goal, believe in yourself and make it happen,” she concluded.

A third graduating senior, Jessica Sterkel, said that what kept her going all these years on the team hadn’t been the thrill of flipping around, although it was “pretty awesome,” she said, “It was the memories that have been created in and out of the gym…it creates a sense of family and that's what we are. We accept each other’s differences, we support each other, we laugh with each other, we pick each other up when we’re down and lastly we love each other to the point that if you didn't know us you would actually think we were all sisters,” she said. 

These three girls’ sentiments are some of the qualities that Madison Area YMCA Gymnastics Director Ellen Gavin is most proud of about her team. “The Rosettes are known for their encouragement, spirit and sportsmanship. Our girls’ respect and support for one another are a testament to what the Madison Area YMCA gymnastics program is all about.”

For 17 years, the Madison Area YMCA Rosettes have ranked in the top 10 YMCA gymnastics teams in the country. The Rosette’s demonstration of skill, poise, spirit, teamwork and sportsmanship continues to be what sets the Madison Area YMCA gymnastics program apart from other programs in the area. The team practices team unity and determination and highly regards the YMCA core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. Building character, confidence and self-esteem are part of the rich gymnastics experience at the Madison Area YMCA.

The gymnastics department has openings in its Summer Gymnastics Mini Clinics and Y Ninja Clinics during July and August. The four-day clinics are Monday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Please see www.madisonareaymca.org for more details.

As a cause-driven charitable organization, the Madison Area YMCA is dedicated to nurturing the potential of every child and teen, and improving the community’s health and well-being and giving back by providing support to our neighbors.

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