Kari Thompson started her floor routine expecting to hear the music.

At first, no one was sure if Thompson had started before the music cued her, but as the surrounding noise died down, the tune could be heard playing softly. Technical difficulties resulted in the volume being turned down, and Thompson looked a little distracted as she leaped out into the middle of the floor.

Then she started playing the tune in her head, and it all came back to her. The rest of her routine was nearly flawless.

It kind of bothered me because it was kind of like a different music to it, and there were spots where I couldnt hear it, Kari said. I just kept my tempo going and kept my feet. My routine, I just said it in my head.

When it was over, she gracefully bowed and pranced off the floor to look at the scoreboard. She scored a 9.3 and placed second all-around for the Level 1 Juniors on Friday at the 2017 YMCA Gymnastics National Championship & Festival at the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center on Hutchinson Island.

Kari took home five of the 40 medals given to the Islands Family YMCA Levels 1 and 2 girls, taking first place in the vault with a score of 9.55 and on the balance beam with a score of 9.475, giving her a total score of 37.3.

The Islands girls won eight first-place event medals, and three gymnasts came away with top overall honors in their age divisions. Carson Mosley took first place in the Level 1 senior age division, totaling a 37.2, which included a 9.5 on the floor. Charlotte Boatright won the Level 2 seniors with a total of 37.525, winning first in the bars (9.5) and beam (9.6), and Kylee Jiran posted the top overall score for all girls across Levels 1, 2 and 3 with a stunning 38.15. She placed first on the bars with a 9.6 and put an exclamation point on her day with a personal-best 9.8 on the beam.

I just put my mind to it, and I said I could do it, and I did it, said Kylee, who also scored a 9.25 on the vault and a 9.5 on the floor. (The vault) is not really my best event, and I hadnt had lots of practice. I didnt know how I was going to do.

Islands head coach Jill Conway wasnt really sure how her gymnasts were going to do on Friday, either. Islands had 12 girls between the ages of 6-11 compete at levels 1 and 2, which were limited to one day of competition for the three-day event. Levels 3 and above will compete today and Sunday.

I was not expecting that, Conway said about her girls winning 40 medals. and to tell you the truth, it brought me to tears when I saw how the girls did and how they stuck all their routines.

Conway added that her gymnasts practiced nine hours a week for the competition, which is in Savannah for the fifth time and has about 2,000 gymnasts from 21 states competing.

This is their hometown, Conway said. This is the host team, and as the host team, youre expected to perform well.

It took nearly three hours for the Islands girls to work their way through four events, the last of which was the beam. Conway said she was proud of the way her girls kept their composure throughout and gave their best performances on the beam, which as a team isnt their best event.

Last event, they were doing so well, and all they had to do was hit beam, she said. Beam is probably the hardest event because theres the pressure of sticking your skills. I tell the girls every day that if you dont hit beam, then you dont hit your all-around.

Islands also had girls who competed at Level 3 earlier in the day and boys who competed in levels 4, 5 and 6. Lily Schainholtz finished second overall in the Level 3 senior division with a total of 37.1.

For the boys, Myles Townsend took first overall with a 56.5 total in Level 4 seniors, including a first-place medal for the floor, where he scored a 10. Jacob Madeiros scored a 52 and took first-place overall for Level 6, Toby Madeiros placed second overall for Level 5 (51.0), and Barrett Whitehurst finished third overall at the All Level (49.2).

I was very pleased with everything they had, said Islands boys coach Adrian Sims, who also spent Friday helping to organize the event. This was a meet I couldnt personally coach them in, but they showed up and performed well.

The boys wont compete over the weekend, either. Competition will continue today with sessions beginning a 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m., and a 9 a.m. session will be held Sunday.

The Liberty County/Armed Services YMCA also had two girls competing at Level 1. Sophia Hool took third place in the child division with a 35.15 total.

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Islands YMCA brings home over 50 medals at nationals - Savannah Morning News