Gymnastics: Tumbleweeds boys preparing for state

Heading into the home stretch of the season, the Tumbleweeds Gymnastics boys' team is hoping one of its largest-ever squads in terms of overall numbers will be able to put up some solid team finishes at the state finals this year.

"We've done really well in our team competitions this year," Tumbleweeds coach Tony Parodi said. "We are starting to hang in there, and even beat, some really high-caliber bigger gyms out of California this year."

At the team's most recent meet in Morgan Hill, Calif., Tumbleweeds took second place with both the level 8 and level 9 teams. Among the teams in the field were JDR Gymnastics, coached by Stanford University coaches; Champions Academy, coached by former Olympic silver medalist JinJing Zhang; and Technique Gym out of Sacramento.

"Everyone else had six or seven team members, but our guys were right with them," Parodi said.

The optional team (level 8 and 9, which are allowed to create their own routines as compared to the lower levels where every competitor undertakes the same compuslory) took second-place at the season-opening Eye Opener meet at High Sierra Gymnastics in Reno.

"We had some new kids heading in, a new level 4 and two new level 9s and we went out there and started off the season with a bang," Parodi said. "We built on that and continued to do well through the season."

Aside from the team events, Tumbleweeds has had a good deal of success on the individual front this season as well.

In six meets, the team boasts a haul of 75 gold medals, 29 silver, 25 bronze and several other top five and top 10 finishes.

Casey Tara, 17, level 9, claimed a number of all-around titles, as did Cole Petrosky, 9, level 5.

Malik DePasquale, 14, level 8, also won an all-around title at a meet in Livermore, Calif.

Other team members who have contributed to the Tumbleweeds' solid performance this season are level 9 Matt Vane, 15, level 8 Mason Parodi, 12, level 5s Keaton Peters, 14, Branden Basche, 11, Jarod Pieller, 10, and Zennon Chatwin, 8, and Level 4 Aidan Cantwell.

Next up for the team is the state championships in Las Vegas on March 27 and 28. The top finishers there can advance to regional championships in San Diego April 15-18 and the top finishers there advance to nationals in Knoxville, Tenn.

Top finishers at nationals are placed on the Junior Olympic national team.

"We'll be going through some tough training over these next few weeks," Parodi said of his team, which practices four times a week. "The whole season kind of builds toward state and from there you just try to go as far as you can."

Parodi said the level 9s, Tara and Vane, have a strong chance of advancing as far as nationals, if not further.

"They both came to us this year after changing gyms and they've been good additions," Parodi said. "Our level 8s have been strong, our group of level 5s has been very solid as a team and they'll be in the mix at state.

"We have only one level 4, but we're looking for some more to join him next year so we can try to build a team there."