Commerce City gymnasts medal at state competition

COMMERCE CITY – While small in numbers, the Commerce City Cougars boys’ gymnastic team scored big recently at the Colorado Association of Recreational Athletes’ (CARA) state meet.

The team’s three gymnasts – Elijah Allen, Riley Jagger and Alex Rhodvin – combined for 13 medals out of 18 events at the July 31 meet, at Highland Hills Parks and Recreation Center in Federal Heights .

At the end of the day, Rhodvin was loaded with a team-leading six medals and a third-place finish in all-around competition in the Level 6 division. Rhodvin took silver on the high bar, and another second-place medal on the vault with a 9.1. He added third-place finishes in floor exercise, parallel bars and still rings and placed fourth on the pommel horse.

Allen took bronze in floor exercise with a 9.0 score. He also place fourth on the vault, parallel bars, pommel horse and rings, and took fifth place on the high bar. Allen finished fifth in the Level 4 all-around competition.

Jagger placed fourth on high bar, parallel bars and pommel horse, and added a fifth-place finish in floor exercise in the Level 5 division.

The Cougars are sponsored by the Commerce City Parks and Recreation Department and are one of seven recreation teams in the state that offer a boys’ gymnastics program.

Commerce City offers gymnastics programs for girls and boys from walking to 17 years of age in instructional gymnastics and competitive programs. The Recreation Center has a state-of-the-art gymnastics facility with a spring floor, spring-loaded vault runway, all regulation equipment, a foam training pit and top instructors. Specialty programs such as private lessons or birthday parties are also available. For more information on gymnastics programs at the Commerce City Recreation Center , call 303-289-3760.