Finley's Emma Breitbarth
a Champion Gymnast
Years of training is paying off for Emma Breitbarth. The J. Taylor Finley Middle School eighth grader won the all-around gold medal at the Level 9 Junior Olympic Eastern National Championships in Battle Creek, Michigan.
"Emma has been doing gymnastics since she was three years old," said Jana Breitbarth, the proud mother who has supported the dynamo every step of the way. The teenager trains four hours a day, six days a week. Last year she captured the Level 9 New York State all-around title.
Breitbarth was asked to join the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic team as a six year old and thus began her competitive career. In the Eastern nationals she won the balance beam competition with a score of 9.5, tied for fourth in floor exercise with a 9.4, tied for sixth in the uneven bars with a 9.45 and tied for seventh in the vault with a 9.3. Her cumulative score of 37.650 gave her the all-around gold medal, a whopping .40 ahead of the silver medalist.
The Eastern nationals consists of the top six gymnasts in each state, including regions that encompass Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Winning the all-around gold medal is a major accomplishment for Breitbarth, who is looking forward to training this summer to be a Level 10 gymnast next year. The Finley eighth grader hopes to qualify for the Level 10 Junior Olympic Nationals, which consists of the "best of the best" in one competition.
While the Eastern championships were playing out in the Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek the Western championships were being held in Roseville, California over the same May 2-5 period. The championships were the competitive season's culminating event and featured the best gymnasts in the country for Level 9. The Eastern championships featured 16 age divisions, which are determined by birth date.
Breitbarth had earlier qualified for the national championships through a stellar performance in the Eastern regional championships. The top six gymnasts in the all-around standings in each age division at the Eastern regionals advanced to Battle Creek.
The Junior Olympic Eastern and Western Championships are two of USA Gymnastics' championships events. Many Junior Olympians have gone on to make the U.S. National Team and represent the United States in international competition and/or to compete in collegiate gymnastics.