Lane Vacala was a bit off in her first two events Saturday at the YMCA National Gymnastics Championship. But the 11-year-old from Islands YMCA put those performances behind her and finished with a flourish.
Vacala started her day slowly, competing in the finals of the Level 8 competition at the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center. She scored an 8.475 on the bars and had an 8.2 on the balance beam, scores much lower than she had earlier in the week.
But the St. Andrew’s School student showed remarkable poise the rest of the day.
She had a spring in her step during her floor routine, bouncing through her runs with precision and earning a score of 9.40 from the judges.
Then came her final event, the vault, during which gymnasts have two attempts. She did well on her first try but took one step backward on her landing.
She came flying down the runway for her second attempt, hit the vault and flipped into the air for a one-and-a-half somersault, sticking the landing like an Olympian.
Vacala beamed and coach Amanda Turner delivered a high-10 and a hug as the crowd erupted in cheers. Vacala scored a 9.425 and moved up into a tie for 13th place among all age divisions in Level 8.
“That’s one of the best vaults I’ve ever had,” Vacala said. “It’s all about practice, practice, practice. I stayed tight off the vault table. I started out rough today. The nerves got to me, but I think I covered up for it in the last two events. You have to remember it’s over and done with, and you just have to focus on the next event.
“I’m pretty happy with it. You have to remember that this is just for fun,” she said.
Turner was happy with how Vacala fought back to finish strongly.
“She is very mature for her age,” Turner said. “She has learned to deal with things, talk to herself and get back in her routine. She wanted to go out with a bang, and she got it done.”
It was the last of three days of gymastics as Savannah hosted the championship event for the fourth time, and the first time since 2003. Gymnastics coaches, their athletes and families seemed to be in agreement that the Hostess City was the perfect place for the championships.
Lisa Pratt is the director of the Hanover Gymnastics team based in Pennsylvania. Her squad won its fourth consecutive YMCA national crown Saturday. She brought 53 gymnasts — and some of their families had a block of 23 rooms at the Hilton Garden and Inn, while others found other accommodations throughout Savannah.
Elizabeth Growden and Selena Swanger finished first and second, respectively, in the senior championship division Saturday competing for Hanover.
“We love it here. The downtown area is so beautiful and everyone really enjoyed River Street,” Pratt said. “Everyone has been very welcoming in town, and the opening ceremonies in Forsyth Park were really nice. The competition was excellent. It’s a great event for gymnastics.”
Carol Tanrath, director of host team Islands YMCA, was excited about how the week went.
“I’m honestly sad that it’s over,” Tanrath said. “It’s been a roller coaster ride, but I think we achieved all our goals and then some. The Islands team represented the city of Savannah well. People can see that we are a program on the rise.
“And it’s been great to see everyone in the community — from businesses to sponsors and volunteers — rally around the event to make it so special.”