Alabama, Auburn gymnastics teams coming to Huntsville
MADISON- Local sports fans have a unique opportunity to see some of the most talented athletes in the SEC on March 9 when the University of Alabama and Auburn University will compete at the Von Braun Center in an Olympic-style podium gymnastics competition.
Elevate the Stage, presented by Huntsville International Airport, will bring 21 club gymnastics teams from across the southeast to perform on March 10 and 11. The event will bring thousands of youth gymnasts to perform in front of college coaches on podiums that are visually appealing to the audience and have extra bounce and spring for the gymnasts.
Events will include the vault, uneven bars, floor program, and balance beam.
The event comes just 2 weeks before SEC teams converge on St. Louis for the SEC Championships. Alabama is ranked fifth in the nation and Auburn is also nationally ranked.
“We are so excited to once again be a part of Elevate the Stage. It is one of the events we look forward to every year,” said University of Alabama Gymnastics Head Coach Dana Duckworth. “Having the meet in Huntsville is an incredible opportunity for Alabama Gymnastics to visit another part of the state and we can’t wait to get there.”
Duckworth is now in her third season head coach. She has been on staff since 2008. She is considered one of the nation’s premier choreographers.
Part of the Alabama gymnastics program as a gymnast and coach for 21 seasons, Duckworth was on the Tide’s 1991 NCAA title team as a sophomore and the 2002, 2011, and 2012 NCAA Championships as a coach. She has also been a part of six SEC titles.
As a gymnast, the former Dana Dobransky twice won NCAA balance bean titles with a perfect 10.0.
The current team is made up of 15 scholarship women. Two are from Alabama: Kylie Dickson from Spanish Fort and Abby Armbrecht from Mobile.
Auburn comes in to the meet climbing in rankings and brings some of the best performers nationally for all the events. Junior Abby Millet is one of the nation’s best on beam and freshman Drew Watson is one of the best on vault.
All of these girls will be in action Friday night. The event starts at 7 pm. Tickets remain. Call the VBC ticket office. For times and more information visit www.elevatethestage.com/. Elevate the Stage can be found on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram.
Auburn has 19 girls on their roster including four from Alabama.
“We have one more meet in the regular season and we need to let it hang out there,” Auburn head Coach Jeff Graba said. “We are looking forward to competing in Huntsville at this year’s Elevate Meet Friday and are ready to go against Alabama on the podium.”
This meet features a philanthropic partnership with Smile-A-Mile and the Ronald McDonald House.
