Viking hosted its annual Da’Viking Invitational the weekend of March 5th and 6th at Niles West HIgh School. Proceeds from this event went towards Hank and his family to help with the cost of yearly training for their seizure alert dog. Hank has an early childhood epilepsy syndrome called Doose Syndrome. You can follow “Hank’s R Hero” on Facebook to learn more about Hank and his journey, as well as ways to further support the family.
The Gymnastics Invitational welcomed gymnasts from Viking Gymnastics, American Academy, Firehouse Gymnastics, Flipstar Gymnastics Academy, Kids In Action Gymnastics Academy, Riverside Brookfield Gymnastics, Superstarz Gymnastics, and Tri-Star Gymnastics. Day one hosted competitions for GIJO Girls’ levels Silver, Gold, and 2 through 8 gymnasts. Viking levels 4 and 5 ended their competitive season on a strong note, along with many of Viking’s optional gymnasts returning from their high school season to join in the fun and perform new skills!
Day two hosted competitions for Special Olympics gymnasts levels C, and 1-4, both girls and boys! This was the third consecutive weekend of competitions for our Rising Stars team, twenty-one of whom have qualified for State! Their confidence is growing with each performance and it’s wonderful to see their personalities shine through in their routines.
The meet was extra special for Viking gymnasts Madison and Raya, who are also coaches at Viking, as it was their final gymnastics competition. Both have been part of Viking’s program for many years and in that time have formed strong relationships with their teammates and coaches. Coach Abbey says, “Both of them have been part of our competitive program for 8 years! I’ve had the honor to coach them for the past two seasons and have seen the impact they have made on our program. They are great team leaders and are always willing to help out their teammates. They had an amazing final meet as Viking gymnasts. Madison stuck her last vault ever and nailed her bail on bars! Raya did her best floor routine ever and scored a 9.7. Their teammates’ cheers echoed through the gym after each of their routines! I am so proud of both of them and wish them the best of luck in all their future adventures!”
We want to thank those in attendance for supporting this year’s meet for Hank and for making it so memorable!
Read more about Madison and Raya’s experience and what Viking has meant to them!
Madison: I was nine years old when I joined the Viking USAG Team as a level four gymnast. After I joined the team, I never looked back. For over three years I was a part of the USAG team, and joined the GIJO program shortly before entering high school. Fun fact: the owner of the gym, Charlie, was one of my first coaches. Both team experiences brought me great joy, and taught me perseverance, resilience, teamwork, and many other important lessons. When I was twelve, I became a part of the Junior Coach program, and shadowed coaches in classes for three years before transitioning into becoming a coach myself. Being able to apply the skills I learned during my own practices to help young girls beginning gymnastics was such an amazing feeling. I have been coaching for almost three years now and find it highly enjoyable. My experience at Viking has been an extremely positive one, and I know I will miss the atmosphere of having supportive teammates and coaches.
Raya: I started gymnastics at Viking Gymnastics when I was in 2nd grade, and it was being run out of Niles North. Looking back on the past 10 years it has been really cool to see both how the gym has grown and how I have as well. My time as a gymnast for all those years has been a ton of fun. Being a part of the GIJO team, I learned about perseverance, teamwork, courage, patience, time management, and so much more. In 2017, I joined the Junior Coaching program because I knew I wanted to eventually be a gymnastics coach, and I have now been coaching for over two years. It’s so great to be able to help my students learn new skills and to hopefully pass on my love of gymnastics to them. Their enthusiasm and hard work brightens my day! Being a part of Viking has helped to shape me into the person I am today and after so many hours spent in the gym it will always feel like a second home to me. I want to thank the entirety of the Viking community, the front desk staff, floor managers, administration, and all of my phenomenal coaches, for being so supportive and making my experience so invaluable and amazing!
