Jacobs' Allison Riedel to Compete in State Gymnastics Meet

The state meet will be held Feb. 15 and 16 at Palatine High School.

Follow Algonquin-Lake in the Hills on Facebook — Sign up for Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Patch breaking news alerts and daily e-mail updates Jacobs High School sophomore Allison Riedel is headed to the state gymnastics meet this weekend.  Riedel will compete in the vault competition after qualifying at the Fremd High School sectional on Feb. 4. She had a qualifying score of 9.725, according to the Illinois High School Association website.  The Prairie Ridge High School co-op team brought home the team championship at the Fremd sectional and has also advanced to the state meet.  The state meet will be held Feb. 15 and 16 at Palatine High School.  Congratulate the area girls who will be heading to state this weekend and wish them good luck …

• Photos (1)

Local Gymnasts Headed to National Competition

Level 6 team from Midwest Elite Gymnastics Academy will compete in Florida in early June.

For members of the Level 6 team at the Midwest Elite Gymnastics Academy, the hours of training and conditioning they do suddenly has become even more important.  The 11 girls on the team learned last week that they qualified to compete at the 2012 USA Gymnastics Open Championships at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The competition runs May 31 through June 3. Members of the team include: Maggie Close of Lake Zurich; Jessica Flatland of Hampshire; Makenzie Fletcher of Gilberts; Christa Halter of Algonquin; Tanjae Lugo of Elgin; Jane Merczel of Streamwood; Tara Nelson of Lakewood; Hannah Oliveros of Streamwood; Jane Richards of Elgin; Sarah Ruesch of Hoffman Estates; and Ashley Suchyta of South Barrington. "It'…

• Photos (5)

New In Town

Occupational Therapy With a Twist Comes to LITH

One of LITH's newest businesses has swapped out a clinic for a gymnastic center as a way to provide fun occupational therapy for children with special needs. Big Blast Inc. will run one-on-one gymnastic therapy trials, starting today, at Trinity Academy of Gymnastics, 9162 Trinity Drive. The trials are currently available for $20.  A Big Blast President says the center helps to make occupational therapy fun for kids with special needs. "This just happens to be a different kind of therapy," Penzell says. "I wanted it to be a kind of therapy that was sort of disguised as fun." Founded in 2009, A Big Blast Inc. was one of the first companies in the country to take OT out of clinics and into gymnastic centers. Occupational therapists for Big…

• Videos (1)