It always feels good to have a large contingent of athletes qualify for the state competition at the conclusion of the season.

Not only does the accomplishment display the depth of the program as a whole, but it also helps to give athletes a sense of comfort and support. 

After starting practices in September, the Silverthorne Storm gymnastics team capped off its 2025 season by competing at the Colorado Association of Recreational Athletics’ (CARA) state gymnastics meet.

Taking place from Friday, July 25, through Saturday, July 26, the meet saw 19 Silverthorne Storm athletes  compete at the Hyland Hills Sports Center in Westminsterin in hopes of performing their best routines of the season. 

With so much pressure surrounding the state meet, mistakes were bound to happen, but the Storm rallied and were able to secure 25 podium finishes and five gold medals throughout the duration of the state meet.

Leading the performances in the Compulsory 3E division was Arwen Vleck. Vleck was one of four girls to notch a podium finish in the all-around competition. Vleck took fourth on the beam, fourth on the floor and first on the vault and bars to record a score of 33.45 and take second in the all-around competition. 

Claire Pidgeon and Lyla Ford also competed in the Compulsory 3E division, making the podium in individual events. Pidgeon took third on the beam while Ford finished fifth on the vault and first on the beam.

In the Compulsory 3C competition, Amalia Hirsh took fourth on the floor, second on the bars and first on the beam. Isabella Sellers was also able to make the podium in an individual event, finishing in fifth place in the Compulsory 3B vault competition. 

Annabel Schaaf was the second Silverthorne Storm athlete to stand atop the podium in the all-around competition. With a third-place finish on the beam, a second-place finish on the vault and a win on the bars, Schaaf took fourth overall in the Compulsory 3A all-around contest.

The Storm’s third all-around podium finish was seized by Susan Oberheide in the Compulsory 4B competition. Finishing the regular season with a myriad of strong results, Oberheide closed out the competition season on a high note, finishing fifth on the vault, third on the floor and second on the bars to take fifth in the all-around competition. 

Lily Wood and Emilia Gilbert had top-five performances in the Compulsory 4C competition. Wood took fifth on the floor while Gilbert finished fifth on the bars and fourth on the vault. 

The Silverthorne Storm were able to put one final athlete on an all-around podium. Competing in the Optional 1A division, Kylee Bingham, took sixth on the bars in order to score a total of 28.025 points. The performance was just enough for Bingham to take fifth overall in the all-around competition for the division. 

“Balance beam can be a beast of an event that can get in your head,” coach Ben Way said. “Most of our (compulsory) 3’s hit their routines solidly and without falls. They ended up well on the podium as a result. Most of our (compulsory) 4’s and optionals had a fall or major wobble — that showed on the podium too.”

The Silverthorne Storm will now enter the offseason for about a month before beginning preparations for the 2026 competition season.

“I am proud of all of our Storm girls for the hard work and dedication they put in since last September to get to this meet,” Way said. “August is mostly off, then we start up again.”