PUHI — Kauai Gymnastics Academy instructor and coach Mark Bonilla has an Elvis Presley costume ready to go at the Puhi gymnastics facility. “This year’s theme is Las Vegas,” said Jack Leonard, the program director, class instructor and coach for
PUHI — Kauai Gymnastics Academy instructor and coach Mark Bonilla has an Elvis Presley costume ready to go at the Puhi gymnastics facility.
“This year’s theme is Las Vegas,” said Jack Leonard, the program director, class instructor and coach for the Kula Hui for KGA. “We have 10 KGA athletes who will be competing in Las Vegas at the Amateur Athletics Union of the United States Western Regional Gymnastics Championships on Feb. 26.”
The 10 competing athletes will be among the field of Kauai Gymnastics Academy athletes who will take the mats Sunday when it hosts its 12th Annual Kauai Gymnastics Academy showcase at the Kukui Grove Center food court starting at 1 p.m.
The athletes, totaling 34 gymnasts and four coaches, come from the KGA Iki, or first level team, Hoku, or Mid-level team, and Kula, or the highest level team. They will unveil the wide range of gymnastic abilities of the KGA athletes on equipment that will be set up at the shopping center’s food court area.
“Right now, the countdown clock in the gym is set to the remaining time before Sunday,” Coach Jack said. “After that, we set the clock for the countdown to the Las Vegas championship. Before that, we had the clock set for the countdown to the Summer Olympics.”
In addition to Coach Jack, Kauai Gymnastics instructors and coaches include Angela-Rhey Ventura, a ninth-year KGA member and a member of the 10-athlete Las Vegas team. She continues to train as a Level 10 gymnast and has become a KGA instructor.
Lani Johnson, a 12-year KGA gymnast, has been with the Kauai Gymnastics Academy from the start and is an instructor and coach. She coaches the Hoku Iki, or mid-level athletes, as well as serving as the Beam Choreographer and is also part of the 10-athlete Las Vegas team.
Bonilla is the head coach of the Iki Hui, or first-year gymnasts. He is the Cheer specialist, helping with the Kauai High School cheer squad who went on to capture the Kauai Interscholastic Federation championship, and is also the Uneven Bar coach.
Tatiana Reid serves as the Pre-Team coach as well as the Floor Exercise Choreographer and class instructor.
Kay Leonard is the Kauai Gymnastics Academy head administrator and class instructor.
Maddison Hubbard, Savannah Hubbard, Haley Zina, Olivia Dilley and Madison Welsh are on the Las Vegas team who will be competing at Level 6. Johnson, Ventura, Ashlynn Questin, Mia Ricciardi, and Ashley Ricciardi are on the team competing at Level 8.
