Thursday, November 20, 2003

Gymnasts strive for national-level competition

By Pete Colaizzo
Poughkeepsie Journal

They practice for hours on end. Day after day. Month after month. All year long. Sometimes, the rewards seem elusive.

But for one group of young local gymnasts, their reward will be quite clear: A mid-winter trip to sunny Florida for some of the best gymnastics competition they will face.

Welcome to the world of Team Twisters, a 30-strong group of young ladies dedicated to their sport. How dedicated? At the top levels of competition, these girls practice for nearly 20 hours per week. Every week.

In an era of short attention spans -- instant messages, instant video games and instant, downloaded music -- these girls put in hours of work for the delayed gratification of outstanding athletic performances months down the road.

All of which makes their coaches at the Poughkeepsie-based Mr. Todd's Gymnastics -- Vinnie DiMaggio and Jayme Pagliaro -- smile, as the team prepares for its first competition this weekend in upstate Latham.

''The team is improving a lot, I'm seeing major improvements,'' said Pagliaro, the team's coach and choreographer. ''This is a big part of my life.''

Pagliaro is a Marist College junior from Staten Island . She is so dedicated to coaching Team Twisters that she took an off-campus apartment last summer and stayed in Poughkeepsie to be with the team.

''I love it,'' she said. ''I want to open my own gym someday. But right now, I want to help these girls. We've made a lot of progress.''

Much of that progress can be attributed to team director DiMaggio.

DiMaggio is beginning his second year as team director. He arrived at Mr. Todd's -- which is co-owned by Todd Hart and Jeff McCoy -- with a long resume of coaching experience.

DiMaggio coached elite-level gymnasts in a Saugerties-based gym for nearly 10 years. He has worked with former state and regional champions.

In his short time with the team, DiMaggio's athletes have earned top placements in state competitions. He helped them earn a berth to the Presidential Classic in Fort Lauderdale , Fla. , in February.

And DiMaggio is hoping to build upon that success by getting national recognition for his athletes. He feels the Presidential Classic will be the first step in that process.

''My goal is I want to coach an elite level athlete here one day,'' he said. ''I'd like to get some of these kids to that level. As long as they are happy with what they are doing, we'll start getting there.''

DiMaggio's athletes practice and compete from Levels 2 through 10 in USA Gymnastics competitions. The higher the number, the more complex the competition.

Along with the long hours of practice, Team Twisters' meet schedule will be busy, DiMaggio said. They will spend much of their winter and spring weekends traveling to competitions throughout the state and the region.

Kids love the sport

Page Neal, one of the team members heading to Florida in February, was introduced to the gym after attending a friend's birthday party. After tumbling around on the mats for a while, she came to this realization: ''Gymnastics is for me,'' she said.

Neal has risen to Level 7 -- out of the 10 levels of expertise -- and practices 15 hours per week. ''I like to tumble,'' the 11-year-old said. ''I always look forward to it and I hope I never stop doing gymnastics.''

Her teammate, Beth Perez, started in gymnastics when she was 3 years old. Now 12, she's practicing 15 hours per week and loving every minute of it. She said her favorite event is the vault because ''it's easy.''

Perez has also taken to the staff at Mr. Todd's Gymnastics after spending several years at a different gym in Westchester County . ''It's a lot more fun,'' she said. ''They take the time to critique everything, and they are just fun to be around.''

AT A GLANCE

TEAM FACTS

In its first year of competition during the 2002-2003 season, Team Twisters gymnasts posted many strong accomplishments. Among them:

-- Two athletes placed at the Level 6 New York State Gymnastics Championships

-- One athlete placed seventh on the beam with a score of 9.275

-- A second athlete placed sixth on the vault with a score of 9.05

-- The team sent 98 percent of its athletes to their respective levels at state championships

For more information on Team Twisters at Mr. Todd's Gymnastics on the Internet, go to www.mrtoddsgym.com

PROFILE

VINNIE DIMAGGIO

Position: Team Director

Age: 30

Title: Team Twisters director, coaching athletes in USA Gymnastics Levels 2-10

Residence: Newburgh

Thursday, November 20, 2003

Gymnastics team heading to Fla.

By Pete Colaizzo
Poughkeepsie Journal

Team Twisters from Mr. Todd's Gymnastics in Poughkeepsie will be heading to Fort Lauderdale , Fla. , in February for the South Florida Presidential Classic. The tournament will be held at the Broward County Convention Center , Feb. 14-16, 2004 .

Team members who will be attending the competition:

1. Beth Perez

2. Ariel Atkins

3. Jill Weiss

4. Ali Cutonilli

5. Shoshana Akins

6. Page Neal

7. Laura Betros

Fund-raising efforts

Along with practice in the gym, the team is actively fund-raising for the trip to Florida . The team has planned several events for the winter and is still soliciting donations. For more information on how to donate funds to defray travel costs, contact Team Director Vinnie DiMaggio at Mr. Todd's Gymnastics at 845-473-3966.

On the Web: For more information on the Presidential Classic on the Internet, go to www.presidentialclassic.com