DOWNEY - Two local gymnasts from the Broadway Gymnastic School, located in Los Angeles, have recently qualified for the Junior Olympics.Bryan De Los Santos of Downey, qualified for the U.S. Men's Junior Olympic National Championships, which were held May 10-15 in Cincinnati, Ohio. De Los Santos is a Level 10 gymnast and is ranked 22nd nationally on the Parallel Bars, 22rd on the Rings, 46th on the Floor and 67th in the All-Around. De Los Santos advanced to the event semi-finals, where only the top 48 gynnasts in the nation qualify. He placed 3rd on the Parallel Bars and 9th on the Rings. De Los Santos also placed 12th on the Parallel Bars at the Men's Region 1 Championships held in Reno, Nevada, April 12-15. At State Championships, De Los Santos won the Bronze State Championship Title on the Rings, placed 6th on the Parallel Bars, 7th on the Floor and 11th in the All-Around. Cassandra Diaz, also of Downey, is a Level 9 gymnast who qualified for the Junior Olympics Western Championships held in Boise, Idaho, May 2-6. Only the top 12 All-Around gymnasts qualified for each age group to the Junior Olympics Western Championships from their Region. Diaz also qualified to compete for the Region 1 Team at the Western Championships. The Region 1 Team won this competition and were crowned meet champions. Region 1 is comprised of four states which include California, Utah, Arizona and Nevada. The Region 1 Team also won the Super Team portion of the competition, which represents a combination of points from the whole competition. At the Regional Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 13-15, Diaz placed second in the Balance Beam and 7th in the All-Around. Diaz placed 4th on the Parallel Bars, 7th on the Vault and 5th in the All-Around at the State Championships. Diaz also contributed to Broadway Gymnastic School's Level 9 Team winning first place at the Chris Wallers Heart of a Champion Invitational last February and placed 3rd at Gymnastics in the Wine Country last January. Certainly De Los Santos and Diaz are rising stars in the world of gymnastics and with continued hard work, may have an opportunity to pursue a college scholarship and perhaps, a shot at the Olympics.

********** Published: July 26, 2012 - Volume 11 - Issue 15