Three Hawaii gymnasts were named to U.S. national teams recently.
Kayttie Nakamura, who attends Kalani High, made both the senior and junior women’s teams for individual trampoline and double mini trampoline, according to the USA Gymnastics website.
Maia Amano of St. Andrew’s Priory and Sydney Senter of Hawaii Baptist made the junior women’s team for those two disciplines.
Nakamura, Amano and Senter, who train at Hawaii Academy, also qualified for the World Age Group Competitions in November in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Nakamura is also an alternate (with Senter as a second alternate) for the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in October.
At the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Greensboro, N.C., last month, Nakamura won the double mini trampoline event in the Junior Elite (ages 15-16) division. She finished second on individual trampoline and fifth with partner Amano on trampoline synch.
Amano finished third in both individual trampoline and double mini trampoline.
Senter was fifth in individual trampoline and third (along with partner Ellen Heinen of Lafayatte, La.) in synch.
Amano and Senter also competed in the Morichan International Trampoline Cup and the International Friendship Competition recently in Machida, Japan. They led Team Hawaii to victory. Also competing were Hong Kong, India, Japan (three
teams), Macau, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand.
Senter won the women’s individual title (94.4)
followed by Amano. Hawaii’s Kelsen Onigama won the men’s individual title (86.325).
They have been competing and winning in numerous events over the years. I glad that they finally get some media recognition!