A huge gymnastics meet in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, sponsored by Hal's Harley-Davidson!
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Young gymnasts around the Midwest get revved up to come to Milwaukee every year in the dead of winter for a special competition.
Every winter, Milwaukee flips out -- in a good way! The Harley meet brings 2,000 gymnasts to the Wisconsin Center for three days of competition. Back in 2002, the meet consisted of 300 gymnasts at Arrowhead High School.
"Every year we started moving into bigger venues, and every year since we have started, we've grown. It has been a neat experience because I never, ever thought I would be here. This venue is so beautiful and so huge. I never thought we would be here," Midwest Twisters Gymnastics Coordinator Kathy Nelson said.
The uniqueness of the venue is one of the reasons 17-year-old Kristen Quaglia from Classic Gymnastics in the Twin Cities was here.
"We are allowed to bring our entire team - level five through 10 and it is a great opportunity for all of us just to have a team bonding trip. It's a very well-run meet and it offers great competition for all levels," Quaglia said.
Girls compete in four events in gymnastics: vault, bars, beam and floor exercise. Boys have six events, and at the Harley meet, it was all on display with 80 teams from six states in the field.
"The thing that I notice the most is you get groups of kids in different rotations from different states and by the end of the meet, they are cheering for each other, you know, they are friends with each other. It's just positive to see. That's one of the highlights for me," Racine Gymnastics Center Owner/Coach Tom Auer said.
"I know some people from different teams that we see at different meets. I've gotten to know them through competing, and then we see them throughout the year," Brandon Mars of Milwaukee said.
Understandably, an event of this magnitude requires a lot of planning.
"Somebody actually compared it to, you know, a wedding. You know, you spend the whole year planning the event, and when it comes it's here. These people that come here are all our friends, and it's just one big happy party," Midwest Twisters Gymnastics Event Coordinator Jack Nettesheim said.
It all came with a distinct Milwaukee flavor, thanks to the sponsorship of Hal's Harley-Davidson.
"They bring in a couple bikes. The kids love to get their pictures taken on their bikes. All the judges -- they don't have to wear their typical stuffy blue blazers and look all professional. They come in and they're in leather, they're in chaps over their jeans, they're in riding gear -- it's a blast," Nettesheim said.
At its heart, this is not merely a celebration. It is a competition.
"I actually think it's a big life experience. They get here and it's fun, and they get to try to achieve and if it doesn't work, that's part of life. Sometimes they fall in beam, and sometimes they hit all of their routines. They learn how to deal with both success and obstacles," Nelson said.
Participating in the sport of gymnastics, especially at a meet such as this deserves high marks.
From its relatively humble beginnings at Arrowhead High School just over a decade ago, this meet continues to grow. This year, there were three gyms set up inside the Wisconsin Center, and organizers already plan to have at least four gyms running next year.