An influx of more than 600 gymnasts and their families from across the state will start arriving in Greenwood on Friday to compete in the Mississippi USA Gymnastics Association’s largest event of the year.
The 2014 Mississippi State Championships will be held from Friday morning until Sunday afternoon at the Leflore County Civic Center, in Greenwood’s debut as a host city for the event.
Aubrey Whittington, owner and teacher of Outer Limits gymnastics, had the idea for the event to be held in Greenwood after attending a meeting where it was announced the event would be moved from Hattiesburg.
“I heard the other cities being presented and I thought Greenwood would great for this event,” said Whittington. “We have a wonderful civic center, and the town looks fabulous with all the renovations we have done. We have unique shops and unique restaurants. I thought, ‘I am going to put in my bid,’ and I did.”
With help from Paige Hunt of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Whittington began gathering information to present to the board of the Mississippi gymnasts association.
“The rest of the cities that wanted it just backed off,” Whittington said.
The charm of Greenwood she presented wooed the board.
One of the features of Greenwood that excited members of the association is its recent claim to fame as the location where the motion picture “The Help” was filmed.
In fact, Skeeter Phelan’s home was filmed at the Whittington farm, the longtime gymnastics teacher’s home.
“They knew my house had been featured in the movie. So when they knew it was going to be here, they asked to have an event at my house,” said Whittington. “And I said, ‘Of course.’”
She will host a Hall of Fame ceremony at her home, with about 60 to 70 judges and coaches attending on Saturday night.
The event is held only every few years, when the association feels that someone merits the award.
Whittington was the recipient of the award in 2007.
Another selling feature of Greenwood is the Leflore County Civic Center.
“The civic center is a great venue,” said Whittington. “It’s not so overwhelming. It’s more intimate, and there is a separate room to present awards so the event can keep going on.”
The Convention and Visitors Bureau will have an information booth at the event, which will include someone operating the booth to make visitors feel welcomed and recommend places to shop or eat.
There will also be vendors, approved by the association, at the civic center.
“It’ll be more relaxed and more visual,” said Whittington.
She is currently working on decorations with a springtime theme to dress up the venue.
“I’ve made probably about 200 to 300 large flowers, like pansies, daffodils, azaleas, roses and camelias, out of paper plates,” said Whittington.
Banners will also be hanging in designated spots welcoming the gymnasts to Greenwood.
“The banners are just to let people know we want them here,” said Whittington. “If they come here one year and they like it, they will continue this event here for four or five years or maybe more.”
But what Whittington is working the hardest on is prepping her Outer Limits gymnasts for the state championships.
“We are a small team,” said Whittington. “Gymnastics is so technical — a bent arm, head in the wrong place or toes not pointed and you’re done.”
The Outer Limits team will have girls competing at 8 a.m. and 1:55 p.m. on Friday during the level one competitions.
At 8 and 10 a.m on Saturday, the Outer Limits’ Silver and Bronze teams — the more advanced and competitive gymnasts — will compete.
The Silver and Bronze teams each have three members. In order to win a trophy in those categories, the top three scores are used to decide the first-, second- and third-place winners, and Outer Limits will be competing against other teams with more members.
“These girls that I teach try very hard. They are tough, talented and dedicated girls,” said Whittington.
The Outer Limits team should feel relaxed competing in the civic center, since it’s the location of the team’s annual recital.
“They will try hard, and usually gymnasts feel comfortable in their own hometowns,” Whittington said.
The event is open to the public. A one-day pass is $10 for adults and $5 for children age 5 and older. A weekend pass for the three-day event is $15 for adults and $5 for children 5 and older. Admission is free for children age 4 and younger.
“They were looking for a fun place to come, and I think it was just a no-brainer,” said Whittington.
• Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7233 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
