Xtreme Gymnastics team place in District Championships

One thing coach Jessie Walker-Luce is passionate about is showcasing the talents of the local gymnastics team.

The Xtreme Gymnastics program hosted the 2024 Ozark AAU District Championships in Poplar Bluff at the Black River Coliseum on Saturday and Sunday for an opportunity to head to the national tournament.

This was the third year the event was held in Poplar Bluff with over 680 registered athletes from Missouri, Illinois, and Kentucky – which is the largest Ozark AAU Gymnastics District championship in history. Gymnasts from all over the Ozark AAU District attended, where many athletes qualified to attend Midwest Regionals held in St. Louis and/or Nationals held in Daytona, Florida.

Xtreme Gymnastics has been a part of AAU gymnastics for over 20 years. The owner Walker-Luce, has been the Ozark AAU Gymnastics District Chair since 2020 and the Ozark AAU Secretary since January 2023. She will also host the 2024 AAU Midwest Regionals on June 1-2.

As they wrapped up the weekend, Xtreme Team Results are as follows: Level 1 Team--3rd place, Bronze Team--2nd place, Silver Team--1st place and Gold Team--4th place.

Many of the athletes also received an invitation to the 2024 Ozark AAU Gymnastics Banquet based on their performance at the District Championships. To be eligible, they had to place 1st, 2nd or 3rd on an event or in the all-around as a level three or higher level or an Xcel Silver or higher division.

The Xtreme Gymnastics team has stayed busy this year by competing in many tournaments, and Walker-Luce was excited to see her girls compete in front of their community and family.

“It’s always an honor to be chosen to host these types of events and bring them to our Poplar Bluff community,” Walker-Luce said. “The event was a massive success, and we are excited to continue bringing more events like this to Poplar Bluff for our Xtreme Gymnastics athletes to get their ‘moment to shine’ and to share the amazing sport of gymnastics with our community.”