LAKEPORT — Catch Berton-Devore and Tanner Broyles of Skycatch Gymnastics of Lakeport recently capped a strong 2019 season by qualifying for the NorCal Regional Championships in Level 9 although only Berton-Devore made the trip to the Long Beach competition.
An ankle injury sustained during a practice session prior to the Regionals sidelined Broyles, who should be ready to go before the start of next season when both he and Berton-Devore make the jump to Level 10, which is as high as the two high-schoolers can go in the Northern California Boys Gymnastics Association.
Lakeport’s Berton-Devore, 16, placed fourth in both floor exercise and the high bar at Regionals a little more than three weeks after placing sixth in the Level 9 all-around competition at the state championships in Tulare. His best finishes came in the horizontal bar (third) and vault (third), but he also added fifth-place finishes in the parallel bars and floor exercise, a seventh in the pommel horse, and an eighth in the still rings.
Kelseyville’s Broyles, 16, finished sixth in the vault, seventh in the floor exercise, eighth in the pommel horse and horizontal bar, and ninth in both the still rings and parallel bars.
Lakeport’s Alex Fordham, a Level 5 competitor, had the best state tournament of any of the Skycatch gymnasts with firsts in the pommel horse, parallel bars and vault to go along with thirds in the still rings and horizontal bar and a fourth in the floor exercise. He was the all-around champion.
Kelseyville’s Trey Broyles, also at Level 5, earn state championship honors with a first in the floor exercise. He added a fifth-place finish in the vault and sixths in the pommel horse, still rings and horizontal bar.
Skycatch gymnasts also distinguished themselves at the Nakamori Memorial Invitational on Feb. 23-24 in Redwood City.
Fordham was the all-around champion in Level 5 with firsts in the floor exercise and pommel horse, seconds in the vault and parallel bars, a sixth in the still rings and an eighth in the horizontal bar.
Other highlights at the meet were Trey Broyles’ second-place finish in the vault at Level 5, a third for Berton-Devore in the Level 9 still rings and fifths in the vault and horizontal bar, and sixths for Tanner Broyles in the Level 9 pommel horse, vault and horizontal bar.
During the High Tech Invitational on Feb. 9-10 at McClellan Park, Fordham took second in the Level 5 still rings, parallel bars and vault, fourths in the floor exercise and pommel horse, and a fifth in the horizontal bar. Berton-Devore was seventh in the Level 9 horizontal bar, Trey Broyles finished third in the Level 5 floor exercise and vault and seventh in the horizontal bar, Phillip Sparks was seventh in the Level 5 pommel horse, and Liam Burke placed second in the Level 4 parallel bars.
On Jan. 19-20, Skycatch’s gymnasts traveled to Palo Alto for the Stanford Open. Berton-Devore won the floor exercise for the third year in a row and also finished fifth on the horizontal bar. Tanner Broyles posted his best score (12.0) all season in the floor exercise while Trey Broyles won the Level 5 vault. Fordham was second in the Level 5 parallel bars, fourth in the pommel horse and sixth in the vault.
At the season-opening Oroville Invitational on Jan. 5-6, highlights included Berton-Devore’s Level 9 win in the parallel bars and second in the horizontal bar; Trey Broyles’ Level 5 third-place finish in the floor exercise and vault along with a fourth in the parallel bars; a second-place finish in the vault, a third in the parallel bars and a fourth in the floor exercise for new Skycatch member Burke in Level 4; fifth-place finishes for new member Manny Hornung in the Level 4 floor exercise and still rings; a fifth-place finish for Sparks in the Level 5 vault and sixth-place finishes in the floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, parallel bars and horizontal bar; and a fourth-place finish for Tanner Broyles in the Level vault along with seventh-place finishes in the floor exercise, parallel bars and horizontal bar.
Skycatch head coach Roger Devore said he was thrilled with the progress of all his gymnasts this season and is looking forward to next season when Berton-Devore and Tanner Broyles make the jump to Level 10, where they’ll spend the next two years prior to embarking on their college careers.
“They’re both 16 and have two years left in high school, giving them plenty of time to chip away and learn the skills they’ll need in college,” he said. “They had a strong showing at Level 9 because they have such a strong work ethic.”
Both of Skycatch’s Level 9 and soon-to-be Level 10 gymnasts spend three hours a day four days a week working out at the Lakeport facility.
