Kona Aerial Gymnastic Team

We again attended the 2023 brestyans las vegas invitational held in Nevada by world famous coach mihai brestyan. This year the meet hosted over 1200 athletes that attend from all across the states. The girls received the experience of competition on a completely different level than in the islands. They are judged by judges from across the united states and compete with teams from every state which allows them to experience the camaraderie, the cultures and the values that other clubs bring to the meet and sport. During competition they are very proud to be representing the big island, their families and Kona aerials gymnastics. Through these large competitions our girls learn how to handle themselves with poise and confidence as well as learn to navigate traveling and the challenges that are not common place on our small island community. Our girls girls form relationships and friendships that last a lifetime and learn lessons that they carry on into their adult life as they become strong empowered women.

We hosted an open house at our gym. We invited low income families and worked with a few organizations for children need. We did free classes, a demonstration from the Team along with meal. This was a beautiful experience for my athletes. They got to give their sport to people in need. They engaged with these young children, they helped them every step of the way and created a fun and educational experience for them.we also donated largely to the victims of the lahaina fires. We partnered, with the one of the pilots that worked for a local helicopter company, here on the big island.we sent non-perishable food, blankets, diapers, bathroom, supplies, baby clothes, and toddler clothes. I was so proud of my girls how they wanted to give, and when we went on the shopping spree for him, they cared about what they were choosing. I truly feel that these experiences are building. Incredible community members.

Each year we participate in two international competitions. These competitions are held on oahu on consecutive weekends. The first is gymnastics in paradise. This meet hosts approximately 600 athletes from around the world. It is very common for australia, japan, finland, canada, england and other international teams to be represented along with many mainland teams. The following weekend is the aloha gym fest. This competition has been running for approximately 45 years now and this year accommodated approximately 1000 athletes from around the world. In attendance were japan, canada, australia, Guam, new mexico, china, great britain and many other teams from the mainland to name a few. The wealth of experience that these competitions bring our girls from this little club on the big island is invaluable. Both outer island and mainland meets are very expensive with airfares, ground travel expenses, meet fees and meals for not just the athletes but their families as well. Prices for these items have skyrocketed over the last few years and have become a difficult number to continue to deal with.