Hoops quartet from Gulf takes title

By STEVE LEE

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 3, 2000

NEW PORT RICHEY -- Four Gulf Middle School students dressed in matching Hoop It Up T-shirts Monday to celebrate a championship weekend.

Blaise Simon, Victor Rodriguez, Joseph Sakelson and Justin Sconiers, collectively known as the Rim Rockers, won the 13-and-under division in the Hoop It Up tournament Saturday and Sunday at the Florida State Fairgrounds. All played on Gulf Middle's seventh-grade basketball team this season.

"It was funny," said Lisa Simon, Blaise's mother. "They got teased at school. "Oh, you aren't going to do anything.' And they went in there and showed their stuff."

The Rim Rockers went 6-1 and defeated the Final Answer 16-12 in Sunday's divisional title contest.

Sconiers led the Rim Rockers in scoring with a 9.5 average. Simon scored 19 in the series, Rodriguez 16 and Sakelson 11.

EMOTIONAL WIN: Danielle Ippolito watched in tears as her Suncoast Gymnastics Academy teammates won the Level 8 championship at the Amateur Athletic Union state meet.

Moments before the competition began April 16 at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Ippolito sprained her left ankle during floor exercise warmups.

"Half of her tears was she felt she was letting the team down, and half was in pain," Suncoast Gymnastics owner and head coach Arnold Gwinn said of Ippolito, who last year was part of the academy's girls modified team that took first in the AAU state meet.

With Ippolito sidelined, Amanda Shea, Samantha Slusak and Shelby Justus came through. All turned in all-around scores of at least 34.70, which was Justus' mark. Shea scored 35.45 and Slusak 35.05.

Shea had seconds on the balance beam and in floor exercises; Slusak finished first in floor exercises and third on the uneven bars; and Justus placed fourth in uneven bars and on the balance beam.

"They knew that they would have to hit the best they could to win," Gwinn said. "They held themselves together under great pressure to win the title."

The Level 4 team from the New Port Richey-based academy also won a state title. That team featured eight gymnasts who in the past year moved up from Level 3: Tashaya Plantilla, Shannon Grubb, Laura Cob, Ashley Spears, Samantha Urgo, Alex Harris, Brittany Richie and Jessica Strysick.

In their final competition as Level 7 gymnasts, Alicia Archibald, Sara Ippolito and Asheley Burch led Suncoast to a runner-up finish at the state meet. Each girl will move up to Level 8 next season.

"I'm sure they will have the same outstanding performances in the next level," Gwinn said.

At the state meet, Archibald had firsts on uneven bars and balance beam; Sara Ippolito finished first on vault and uneven bars; and Burch had seconds in floor exercises and vault.

Suncoast's Level 2 team took third in the state meet. Kerri Cason (36.40), Heather Baker (35.65), Kelli Carman (34.92), Samantha Miller (34.80) and Ashley Shindledecker (34.70) were the team's top all-around scorers.

Two boys teams from Suncoast competed at Disney with the Level 6 squad finishing sixth and Level 7 seventh.

Shannon Alfons had firsts on the parallel bars and vault, and Austin Sievers placed third on rings for the Level 6 team.

Nick Hodges led the Level 7 team with a first all-around score of 49.05 and Anthony Feldman finished fifth all-around at 48.30.

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