Storied Programs & Championship Hopefuls highlight GHSA Gymnastics State Championships

The inaugural GHSA Gymnastics Championship was held in 1956 and featured only a boys competition, won by Druid Hills, and in the 69 years since that first title, there have been many changes to the event.

The GHSA named the competition for Dr. Lucia Norwood who coached Lakeside-DeKalb to numerous gymnastics championships in 2018. She was inducted into the Lakeside-DeKalb High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2019 for a lifetime of dedication to gymnastics and high school sports.

Theres been the addition and cancellation of the boys side of the competition. In 2019, the GHSA expanded to two divisions Class 6A-7A and Class 1A-5A. But through the decades of gymnastics competition at the high school level in Georgia -- one thing remains the same: top-tier talent.

WHEN AND WHERE?

The championship begins Wednesday at Buford Arena with two preliminary sessions Class 1A-4A and individuals begin their competitions at 2:30 p.m. and the Class 5A-6A and individuals will take to the stage at 6:30 p.m. The finals begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday for each of the qualifying programs.

At this seasons finale if recent history holds true it might be easy to pick a favorite. Entering the GHSA Gymnastics state championships, Buford and North Oconee could be the teams to beat.

Theyve won a combined 11 state championships including three-straight titles for the Wolves and five-consecutive first-place finishes for North Oconee.

Buford captured its first title in 2014, beginning a stretch of three consecutive championship victories from 2014-2016 before the Wolves won in 2022-2024. North Oconees five titles were in 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and last season. The event was not held in 2020 due to the pandemic.

A HISTORIC LOOK BACK

The GHSA boys gymnastics event was not held from 1957-1963 before being revived for the 1964 season. Druid Hills won the boys titles in 1964 and 1965. Gordon, Walker, Sequoyah, Peachtree and Briarcliff were favorites during the boys events in the late 1960s and 1970s. The boys event was not held from 1980-1986 before being discontinued in 1987.

The GHSA began awarding girls championships in 1969 with the first two events won by Tucker. Lakeside-DeKalbs girls won a state-record nine-straight championships from 1971-1979 including a sweep of the boys and girls side in 1973. Westminster, Redan, Tucker and Miltons girls were favorited throughout the 1990s with championships in 1990, 1991, 1998 and 1999. Heritage-Conyers was also a favorite during that span, winning four championships 1992, 1994, 1995 and 1996.

Roswells girls won their first title in 1997 and then four-straight from 2000-2003 with titles in 2005 and 2007. West Forsyth won titles in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and after the cancelled year in 2020, Newnan secured the 2021 title.

AN EVENTFUL CHAMPIONSHIP

Teams and individuals will compete and be judged in five disciplines throughout the competition with hopes for a trophy Vault, Bars, Balance Beam, Floor and All-Around.

Vaulting requires impeccable timing and aerial execution with the approach to the springboard perfectly to build to the jump, the aerial and the landing. The Uneven Bars or bars -- require competitors to complete a routine with several elements, including a dismount and landing.

The Balance Beam routine involves gymnasts performing a routine of acrobatic and balancing skills on a narrow beam. The Floor discipline requires dance elements and various tumbling routines upon which gymnasts will be judged. The culmination of all scores from each routine are calculated into the All-Around score.

WHERE DO WE RANK?

In Class 5A-6A, North Forsyth is ranked at the top of the highest class and is in the hunt for a program-first title. Chasing are No. 2 Forsyth Central, No. 3 Carrollton, No. 4 Walton, No. 5 Buford, No. 6 South Forsyth, No. 7 West Forsyth and No. 8 East Coweta.

In Class 1A-4A, five-time champion North Oconee is the top-ranked team ahead of No. 2 Bremen, No. 3 Bowdon, No. 4 East Forsyth, No. 5 Union Grove, No. 6 Westminster, No. 7 Cambridge and No. 8 Ola.

There are 22 programs that entered individual competitors into the championships Allatoona, Alexander, Brooks County, Cartersville, Creekview, Denmark, Etowah, Johns Creek, Kell, Kings Ridge, Lambert, Lassiter, Milton, Northgate, Pace Academy, Pike County, Pope, River Ridge, Thomas County Central, Upson-Lee, Villa Rica and Wheeler.