PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE LANGE
2t!:en Q - AlI-
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Lisa Wang won her second consecutive Rhythmic Challenge
.lund tide at the 2008 Rhythmic C hallenge held in Colorado Springs, Colo, Feb. w. Wang, who trains at North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center in Ill. , and is coached by Natasha Klimouk and Dani Takova, said, "It felt incredible to win the Rhythmic Challenge. After such a demanding and stressful season last year, I was extremely proud of being able to contin ue competing so strongly. I went onto the carpet feeling calm, confident, and completely ready to show off my routines." Wang said she performed brand new rope and clubs routines. She said, "My rope music is very unique; it is a fast-paced blend of techno, Bulgarian beats, and voices. My clubs music is a bit eccentric and funky. My routi ne was choreographed exacdy to hit all of the accents and it's an amazing feeling when I am able to hit them all. I absolutely love both of my new routines, and I think it shows." Wang scored an impressive 64.1 5 followed by three veterans in second through fourth position who
were all very close in score. Rachel Marmer, 16, from Eurogymnastics in California, finished second with a 60.025, Julie Zedin, 17, from Rhythmflex in Maryland, was third with a 59.725 and Ava Gehringer, 18, from North Shore Rhythmic in Illinois was fourth with a 59.475. When we asked Wang, what's next, she said, "In a few days, I'll be packing my bags again and fl yi ng to Moscow for a Grand Prix competition. At the end of March I will be competing at Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships in San Jose. In April, I wi ll be overseas basically the entire month with World Cup competitions in Greece, Spain, and Portugal." In the junior division, Wang's teammate Marlee Shape, 14, won the tide. Shape scored a 57.35 al l-around total, leading her nearest competi tor by four points. C lustered in second through fourth positions were Tyler Rosemond, Anastasia Torba and Viktoriya Syatkina wi th scores of 53.30, 53.025 and 53.0, respectively. ~
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USA GYMNASTICS MARCH 路 APRIL 2008
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