This weekend, Bainbridge will host the Level 2, Level 3, and Prep-Optional Beginner Georgia AAU Gymnastics championships. The competitions will be held at the gymnasium on the campus of Bainbridge High School with roughly 650 youth gymnasts, ranging in ages 4-12, from across the state.
The Bainbridge Gymnast-A-Cats Booster Club is sponsoring the competition after working diligently for several years to bring such an event to the area.
“We are very excited and honored to bring this event to our home area,” said Lindy Murkerson, coach of the Gymnast-A-Cats and owner of Murkerson’s Dance, Gymnastics, and Cheer Academy. “It’s very rare that these state competitions are held in any community south of Macon and we are excited about bringing the many competitors from across the state to Bainbridge.”
Gymnasts and teams from as far away as Augusta to the north and Kingsland to the east will be represented. Close to 50 total teams will participate.
The economic impact to the area will be substantial, according to Adrienne Harrison, executive director of the Bainbridge Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“Our hotels have been sold out for months and we’ve anxiously awaited this event,” Harrison said. “We have never hosted a gymnastics event and we’re very grateful that the AAU chose Bainbridge for the state championships.
“Hopefully, this will be the first of many that we have the opportunity to host. The folks at Murkerson’s worked really hard to make this happen and we are thrilled that it worked out.”
The Gymnast-A-Cats booster club will host a barbecue cookout and reception for the team coaches and competition judges on the back deck of the Chamber of Commerce Saturday night.
The competitions begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday morning and will last throughout the day. Adult admission is $8 and youth admission is $5.