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World Cup Gymnast Scores a Perfect 10

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CHAPPAQUA, New York–World Cup Gymnastics girls team kicked off the meet season at home during the Josh Ward Invitational state qualifying meet which was renamed this year in honor of one of their young coaches who passed away after a short battle with cancer.  

The World Cup gymnasts honored their coach by putting out some outstanding performances.  The highlight of the entire competition came from one of World Cup’s younger competitors, eight year old Emma Namba from Pelham, NY.  Namba scored World Cup’s first ever 10.0 on the Balance Beam!  To score a 10.0 is an extremely rare feat and speaks to how hard Emma has been practicing in the gym to achieve perfection!  Namba dominated the middle Level 3 competition by earning 1st place medals in each event including a 9.9 on Vault, a 9.7 on Bars, a 9.7 on Floor and secured the all-around first place title with a 39.3.  The Level 3 Team took home the first place trophy.

Other highlights of the meet included a sweep of the top all-around spots by World Cup gymnasts on the older Level 3 Team.  Lauren Chase of Pleasantville lead the pack with a 37.45 and placed 1st on Bars with a 9.25, 2nd on Vault with a 9.5 and 3rd on Beam with a 9.5.  Armonk native, Alexa Goldberg finished 2nd place all-around with a 36.95 and took home the first place medal on Vault with a 9.65 and 2nd place on Bars and Floor with a 9.15 and 9.35 respectively.  Olivia Selkin who hails from Greenwich, CT finished 3rd place all-around with a 36.75 and took home two 3rd place medals for Bars with a 9.05 and Floor with a 9.3.  Gabriela Olego of Mt. Kisco, who competes in the younger Level 3 division, finished 3rd in the all-around with a 37.75 and took home a 1st place medal in Floor with a 9.5 and two 3rd place medals on Bar and Beam with a 9.3 and 9.6 respectively.

The younger Level 4 girls also swept the top spots during the competition.  Mt. Kisco native, Amanda Olego was the all-around champion with a score of 37.075.  She also won 1st place on Bars with a 9.325, on Beam with a 9.250 and on Floor with a 9.8 and took 2nd place for Vault with an 8.7.   Teammate Grace McClullough from Pleasantville was 2nd place all-around with a score of 35.95 and placed 2nd on Bars with a 9.250.  Mt. Kisco native Sasha Goldman secured the 3rd place all-around medal with a 35.6.  The older Level 4 gymnasts Annika Murphy from Croton on Hudson took home the silver all-around medal with a score of 35.575 and earned a 2nd place medal on Bars with a 9.150 and on Beam with a 8.975 and a 3rd place medal on Vault with a 8.45.  Here teammate and Scarsdale native, Gordana Zimberg took home the bronze all-around with a 34.775 and placed 1st on Beam with a 9.15 and 2nd on Floor with a 9.25.  Senika Manchanda of Tarrytown, who competed as a middle level 4, took home the 3rd place, all-around medal with a 36.85 and 2nd place medals on Bars with a 9.575 and Beam with a 9.325.  The Level 4 team went home with the 2nd place trophy!

The younger level 5 all-around champion was Scarsdale native, Sofia Gisbert who earned a 36.250 and earned 1st place on Bars with an 8.85, on Beam with a 9.0 and a 2nd place medal on Floor with a 9.45.  Her teammate Eliana Chorost of Rye was the 2nd place, all-around champion with a score of 35.30.  Chorost also earned 2nd place on Vault with a 9.05 and 2nd place on Beam with an 8.85.  Older Level 5 gymnasts, Denise Kotronis of Hastings on Hudson was the 2nd place, all-around winner with a score of 34.475 and earned 1st place on Bars with an 8.15 and 2nd place on Vault with an 8.775.  Katonah native, Georgia Nekos was 3rd place, all-around with a score of 33.975 and won 1st place on Vault with an 8.825, 2nd place on Beam with an 8.55 and 3rd place on Bars with a 7.45.  The level 5 team came home with the 2nd place trophy.

Dani Halperin, who hails from Chappaqua, was 2nd place, all-around champion in the Level 6 junior competition earning a 37.30 all-around and taking home two 2nd place medals for Bars with a 9.15 and Beam with a 9.45.

Brooke Giardina of Waccabue, a level 7 senior competitor, was the 3rd place all-around champion earning a 36.275.  She also took home two 3rd place medals for Bars with a 9.3 and Beam with an 8.5.  Level 7 junior, Natalie Calman of Briarcliff, took the 2nd place all-around medal with a 37.15.  She also took home 1st place on Floor with a 9.825.  The Level 7 team took home the 2nd place trophy.

Level 8 Senior Madison Higgins of Bedford was the all-around champion with a score of 36.35 and received two 1st place medals for Vault and Bars with scores of 9.15 and 9.45 respectively and two 2nd place medals for Beam and Floor with scores of 8.45 and 9.3 respectively.

Pleasantville native, Katherine Colella who competed as a Level 8 Senior was the 2nd place, all-around medalist earning a score of 36.275.  She also was 1st on Bars with a 9.425, 2nd on Vault with a 9.05 and 3rd on Floor with a 9.6.

World Cup’s XCEL Platinum team was definitely feeling the home advantage when they outperformed other teams that had double and/or nearly triple the amount of competitors to take home the 1st Place Trophy with a score of 28.  XCEL junior competitor, Julia Hansburg from Bedford won the all-around with a 36.8 and received first place on Bars with an 8.9 and Floor with a 9.5.  She also placed 2nd on Vault.  Senior competitors Arielle Wilson of Pleasantville and Katherine Grimes of Croton on Hudson were the 1st and 2nd place all-around champions receiving scores of 37.95 and 37.8 respectively.  Wilson also placed first on Vault and Bars with a 9.8 and  a 9.65 and placed 2nd of Floor with a 9.2.  Grimes placed 2nd on Bars with a 9.5.

World Cup Gymnastics has been training State, Regional and National Champions for over 20 years.

World Cup Gymnastics is deemed one of the most revered recreational and competitive gymnastics programs in the state offering mommy and me classes for infants, pre-school gymnastics, school-age recreational gymnastics, tumbling for cheerleaders and competitive teams.   For more information, please call 914-238-4967 or visit www.worldcupgymnastics.com.

Meet the Inside Press Team

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We have a talented group of writers and artists who contribute on a regular basis but we also have a strong core group of dedicated professionals who ensure that each issue of Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk is chock full of local news that you won’t find in other news outlets. With the growth of online media, we ensure that each issue’s content is available online and we also love to share our stories via social media. All of this though would never happen though without the generous support of our sponsors so we are all grateful for the support. In keeping with this issue’s gratitude theme, please take a moment to ‘meet’ the Inside Press team. We also thank you, dear readers, for the intense interest in our pubs.

Grace Bennett

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

Following a career in newspaper and magazine journalism, and also raising two kids (Anna and Ari) to the first and fourth grades, I launched the Inside Press in 2003 and went live in 2009 with theinsidepress.com. I greatly enjoy the role of overseeing the editorial and working closely with so many generous sponsors in this incredibly beautiful and happening corner of Westchester. Long walks keep me centered through it all.

Stacey Pfeffer

Editor

After working in public relations in NYC and London for more than a decade, I decided to switch to freelance writing after the birth of my first child. I have written for a variety of regional media outlets.For the past two years, I have also written numerous articles for Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk, before assuming the role of editor. I love highlighting local stories in our magazines and online that you won’t find anywhere else.

Caroline Rosengarden

Advertising Manager

I’m the Inside Press Advertising Manager, which means that I communicate with advertisers all day long! I liaise with sponsors old and new alike to ensure their ads appear in the magazine exactly the way they expect. In the past, I managed national brands at ad agencies in NYC and San Francisco. I enjoy baking, walking with my husband and Ruby (our Golden Doodle) or reading books with my girls, Lucy (10) and Sadie (8).

Ryan Smith

Website Developer

I’m the company’s website developer who ensures the articles that go to print are available for consumption on The Inside Press website, theinsidepress.com, as well as in social media. I help keep the site fast, fresh, and secure!

I’ve previously served as the IT Director for a worldwide design agency and was in charge of development for a financial technology start-up. When I’m not taking things apart to figure out how they work, I enjoy hiking, ballroom dancing, and costume parties.

Lisa Samkoff

Art Director

A year ago I joined the Inside Press team as art director. In my role, I redesigned our company logo complimenting it with a complete re-design of the magazines giving them a more modern look. As an independent graphic designer and consultant specializing in branding, logos and signage, I often work on packaging and website design as well. When I’m not working, I’m cooking, planting, crafting, or going to games with my friends and family.

Rick Waters

Website Designer

I am responsible for making sure the articles and ads are neat and tidy for the Inside Press website. I transfer the Inside Press magazines into online articles and provide photo-resizing work. I also post various Inside Press articles throughout the year while optimizing photos and videos. When I’m not in the office, I am an avid cyclist, hiker and swimmer. I also enjoy cocktail parties and going on adventures with my dog.

Analia Boltuch (with her son Oliver)

Account Manager

I am the account manager for the Inside Press handling all bookkeeping needs. When not wearing my bookkeeping cape, I enjoy providing virtual assistant services to small businesses and entrepreneurs ranging from office management to social media. I’m also a wife and mom of three boys (one of them being of the four-legged variety!)

 

Prescriptions for Fitness Trainer in ‘Spartans Ultimate Team Challenge’ on NBC

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This past November, New Castle resident and Prescription for Fitness trainer, Amber Jo Salamone, was chosen and took part in a new TV series “Spartans Ultimate Team Challenge on NBC.” Inspired by Spartan Race–the creators of the world’s most demanding obstacle course races–“Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge” raises the bar on team competitions. Groups of friends, families, co-workers and more must work together as they race across specially designed Spartan courses engineered to test their determination, endurance and will. Teams of five compete on one the most demanding courses ever devised and have to push through the pain to win $250,000. The series premiers June 13th.AMBER

Amber Jo Salamone, personal trainer at Prescriptions For Fitness, stated:

“I have been doing Spartan races for the past five years not only just to challenge myself with these brutal obstacle courses, but to inspire and motivate my family, friends and clients as a personal trainer. You can do anything you set your mind to in life with hard work, determination and dedication. This November I was chosen to be part of Spartans new TV series “Spartans Ultimate Team Challenge on NBC” with only three weeks to prepare for it the producers shipped my team and I; Team Thumbs Up, to Atlanta Georgia for one week to start filming. This was by far the best week of my life. We were surrounded by some of the greatest Spartan athletes out there, one being our coach, Kevin Donoghue who taught us how to work together as a team throughout the week. We all have different reasons why we race which is what makes our team so unique. Being a Spartan all these years has helped me overcome some difficult times in my life and made me realize how strong I really am. Being part of Spartans Ultimate Team Challenge has changed my life with this unforgettable experience. I am forever grateful.”

Scott Reilly, owner of Prescriptions for Fitness, stated: “She pushes her clients hard and she pushes herself hard. I am so proud of her.”