NEGAUNEE, Mich. (WZMQ) – A gymnastics team from Marquette County is advancing to the regional finals in AAU gymnastics.
AAU is not affiliated with any school district, however, it allows athletes from smaller schools with no team to compete on the local, state, regional, and national levels. West End Gymnastics owner and head coach, Bridget Johnson, is very proud of her young tumblers, with many on her team placing high enough to have their place on the podium. Her team has gymnasts as young as 4 and as old as 33; they come from across the up and Northern Wisconsin, with 26 of her athletes qualifying for the Northern Midwest regional finals in Chicago in June. Johnson enjoys being the underdog.
“Everybody overlooks us because we’re from the up. We had one parent down there over here, somebody be like Oh, it must stink to come all the way from the up just to get beat, and then there are my girls and their lime green on the podium, every single time,” said Johnson.
The team qualified for the regional tournament at the Michigan State finals last month.