Local gymnast club ready for state meet

About 260 of Montana's best gymnasts will gather in Hamilton this weekend for the Montana State Gymnastics Meet.

"This meet will be a great finish for our Montana gymnastics season and the gymnasts who have worked so hard," said Steve Henneford, state director of the Women's Program of USA Gymnastics.

Competing at the meet will be gymnasts from 12 of Montana's gymnastics clubs, including Big Sky Gymnastics of Havre. All gymnasts had to earn qualifying scores from other meets to attend the state meet.

The boys' competition gets under way today at 3 p.m. at Hamilton High School, with 24 gymnasts in Class 7 and 23 gymnasts in Class 6. Following them at 5:30 p.m. will be the top boys' classes, with 15 in Class 5, five in Class 4, six in Class 3, four in Class 2 and three gymnasts in the highest boys' level, Class 1.

Saturday morning, the 69 Level 5 girls will begin at 8, followed by the 27 Level 6 and 34 Level 4 gymnasts at noon. The 30 girls in the older age groups of Level 7 will compete at 3:30 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., the four gymnasts in the 7-11 age group of Level 7 will compete at the same time as the top levels of Montana gymnasts eight in Level 8, four in Level 9 and one in the highest girls' level, Level 10.