May 2, 2007

DeVeau's gymnasts dominate state

Teams' hard work results in titles at 13 of 14 levels

By Melissa J. Phillips

Star correspondent

To say DeVeau's gymnasts were successful at this year's state meet would be quite the understatement. Their dominance was flat-out phenomenal and unprecedented in the program's 25-year history.

DeVeau's entrants won the team championship at every level in which they competed. Girls teams came home with seven titles -- sweeping levels four through 10 -- while the boys won every level except No. 8, in which they did not have any competitors.

"This summer is my 25th anniversary, and this is the best my teams have ever done," said Joan DeVeau, owner of DeVeau's School of Gymnastics in Fishers.

"It couldn't have been more exciting when it got down to that final group, which was (girls) level 10. There was a lot of pressure on that group, and they rose to the occasion and just did a phenomenal job. It was fun watching them."

The boys state meet took place March 24-25 in Indianapolis. Girls competed at four different sites, which varied by skill levels, during four different weekends. The accomplishments of the teams are still sinking in with the coaches.

"It's pretty astounding," said Mandy German, coach of girls level five and six. "What a great thing to be a part of.

"I know that as coaches we've worked so hard. Most of our coaches have been there for quite a few years. And this year they worked so hard and have trained so hard for a good amount of time -- to do something like this is pretty amazing."

In addition to the team titles, DeVeau's gymnasts, whose ages range from 6 to 18, also claimed numerous individual titles. Its girls took home 68 individual state titles, and its boys claimed 21.

"I got first on floor," said 10-year old Maddie Clapp, a fourth-grader at Cumberland Road Elementary who has been competing for five years. "I won all-around (last year), so that was pretty big."

Eleven-year old Taylor Sims, a sixth-grader at Our Lady of Grace in Noblesville, also did well at the state meet and competed at the regional competition last weekend in Indianapolis.

"I did pretty good," said Sims, who finished second on the beam in the state meet, as well as ninth in all-around and fifth in floor exercise.

Midland, Mich., was another regional site for girls who qualified in levels eight, nine and 10. Boys went to Battle Creek, Mich. Girls nationals will be in Cincinnati and Kissimmee, Fla., and the boys will travel to Oklahoma City.

Blaize Monks, a sophomore at Noblesville, is one of seven boys from DeVeau's Gym to qualify for the national meet. His coach, Chad Ford, feels Monks has the potential to place in the top 10 in the country.

"I'm just hoping to stay on the events better than I did at regionals," said Monks. "I'm hoping to possibly make finals for all-around, and maybe individual events. We'll just have to see how that goes. It just depends on if I hit or not."

After nationals, it's back to the gym to train for the next meet.

"We're just continually improving every day and getting better," said Ford, who coaches boys teams. "They train on a year-round basis on every level. It's not a normal sport where they just do it for the season. It just requires a lot of self-discipline, motivation, and dedication . . . all of these things."

The 13 state championship banners that now hang in the gymnasium and are not only a sign of this year's success, but also are an indication of how many hours of training the athletes and coaches put into their sport.

Depending on their competitive level, gymnasts put in anywhere from 7.5 to 22 hours of training per week.

"We have an amazing staff of coaches and gymnasts who work hard and pulled together to win every state title," said DeVeau. "I think it truly shows that hard work pays off. I couldn't be more proud of our coaches and kids."