Sarasota gymnastics coach garners national honor

Every four years an American gymnast breaks through into the popular consciousness.

Simone Biles played that part during the 2016 Summer Olympics, and the coach most responsible for helping make that happen is getting her moment in the spotlight. Aimee Boorman, who was the head coach of the United States gymnastics team in Brazil, was named the United States Olympic Committee Co-Coach of the Year last week. Boorman now trains young gymnasts at EVO Athletics in Sarasota.

“It’s an amazing honor,” Boorman said in a press release. “I have been nominated before and that was very exciting, but this year — it feels so special being an Olympic year. It’s a recognition that you can produce a holistic athlete to where you’re enriching every part of their life. You’re not just teaching them gymnastics.”

Boorman has coached gymnastics since 1995 and began working with Biles in 2003 at Bannon’s Gymnastix in Houston. They worked together for 13 years until Biles won four gold medals in Rio de Janeiro and Boorman departed for Florida.

Beach volleyball player seeks national shot

Lola Buck-Taylor, an 11-year-old from Bradenton, came within one win of a guaranteed spot in the USA Junior Beach Championships. With USA Volleyball’s wild-card process, she still may get her chance.

Buck-Taylor, who will attend Martha B. King Middle School in the fall, was paired with Tallahassee’s Jordan Boulware in the Atlantic zone’s A2 camp and championships in Emerson, Ga., from June 19-23. The championship winner out of each A2 zone qualifies for an automatic berth at the national championships, which run from July 31-Aug. 2 in Hermosa Beach, Calif.

Buck-Taylor’s finish wasn’t quite enough to earn the automatic bid in the 12U division, but her individual performance earned her a potential invitation as a wild-card entrant contingent on finding another qualified partner.

“They have a few wild cards and its not a guarantee,” said Hank Taylor, Buck-Taylor’s father. “But Megan Burgdorf, who’s the head of the (beach high performance program) emailed us and said, ‘I sure hope Lola applies for the wild card.’”

Sarasota clubs pull in rowing medals

Sarasota Crew, Sarasota Rowing Club and the Sarasota Scullers were among the three biggest winners during the rowing portion of the Sunshine State Games from June 17-18 in Clermont. The three clubs, which feature rowers from Manatee and Sarasota counties, earned 22 medals across the three days at Clermont Boathouse.

More than half of the three clubs’ 22 medals were gold: nine from the Scullers, three by Crew and two by Rowing Club. Members of the Scullers earned two wins while paired with rowers from other clubs, including with a rower from Sarasota Rowing Club in the mixed masters double scull.

The Scullers collected three wins in the masters division. Karen Wiegandt paired with Rowing Club’s Dragos Alexandru to win the mixed double scull. Wiegandt led another team comprising rowers from the Sarasota Scullers and Miami Rowing Club to win the women’s masters quad scull, and Laura Corbett won the masters B single scull. Wiegandt and Corbett also teamed to win the masters B double scull for those between 36-42.

The Scullers added wins in the girls junior double scull for U19, the mixed open double scull, the women’s open quad scull, the girls junior single scull and the girls junior coxed four.

Sarasota Crew earned three gold medals in the women’s veteran single scull for rowers 50 and older, the women’s veteran double scull and the mixed men’s quad scull. Sarasota Rowing Club won its other gold in the men’s veteran single scull.

This story was originally published June 28, 2017 at 7:50 PM with the headline "Sarasota gymnastics coach garners national honor."