LOCAL GYMNASTICS COACH FINDS THAT WINNING CAN BE FUN TOO

When Chanda Adair got into gymnastics at the relatively late age of 12, she said she did it for the fun of it.

She avoided competitions, choosing instead to concentrate on the recreation side.

That is until she discovered that winning can be kind of fun especially a national title.

"I'm a sore loser," said Adair, an 18-year-old who will be a sophomore at Shawnee Community College. "I'm afraid of losing."

It was that mindset that kept her out of competitions until this past year. In her six years of gymnastics, she was on Elite Gymnastics' recreational team, which gives gymnasts the option of competing in meets. It was an option she always opted out on.

Getting into gymnastics at a late age, she had always found herself behind on the learning curve. That's why she opted on the fun route.

"If I had competed I would have been like a 13-year-old Level 5," said Adair, adding most kids that age would have been around a Level 9.

Now a coach at Elite Express Gymnastics, Adair reluctantly let her boss, Tammy Javier, talk her into competing in the recent AAU Nationals qualifying meet in St. Louis. Adair, who had only competed in one prior meet, had several of her own athletes competing and decided to give it a whirl.

She not only qualified for the national meet in Des Moines, Iowa, she became the AAU Nationals all-around champion for the 16-and-over Level 7 division.

"I was really surprised," said Adair. "I would have been happy with last place just to know that I qualified."

She totaled 33.6 in the all-around to place first, winning the beam (8.6) in the process.

Adair was one of six local athletes to compete in the national meet. Also competing were Cory Tucker, 9, Ethan Orsborn, 10, Jesseca Bixler, 7, Tommy Lantz, 10, and Brittney Thomas, 10.

Orsborn finished sixth in the all-around (Level 7), Tucker eighth (Level 7), Bixler 10th (Level 3), Thomas 16th (Level 5) and Lantz 20th (Level 5).