56°F
weather icon Cloudy

Sanford places third in gymnastics championship

Breann Sanford, a junior at Boulder City High School, recently placed third in the all-around competition in the Senior 8 division of the 2017 Women’s Junior Olympic Level 9 Western Championships in Boise, Idaho.

She was one of 455 female gymnasts in 16 age divisions from 24 states who competed in the championship held the last weekend in April.

To qualify for the championship, Sanford placed first in the all-around bar, beam and floor competitions at the Region 1 competition held in early April. She vied against gymnasts from Nevada, Arizona, California and Utah.

Making her accomplishment all the more special, Sanford was sidelined for a year because of stress fractures in her spine.

Roberta Teixeira, one of her coaches at Gymcats in Henderson, where she trains, said Sanford’s perseverance and dedication is what enabled her to compete on such an advanced level after her injury.

“Not too many people come back from an injury like that and compete the way she did,” Teixeira said.

Sanford has been studying and training with Gymcats for most of her life, working with Teixeira for the past six years along with Kimberly Snape, Mika Houston, Cassie Rice and Jill Preston.

“I like the difficulty of the sport and how it’s always challenging you,” Sanford said.

Her favorite events are the uneven bars and vault. Sanford said she finds the beam to be the most challenging.

“It’s only 4 inches wide and you have to flip on it. You have to make it look easy, and it’s not easy,” she said.

To accomplish that fete, she practices four hours a day, six days a week — even with 15 years of experience in the sport. The 17-year-old has been a gymnast since she was 2.

Sanford said she was especially excited to advance to the Western championships this year, hoping that representatives from colleges would be there to watch her. Though she is not sure where she will attend college, Sanford said she would like to compete on the collegiate level while she works toward a degree in athletic training and physical therapy.

She said she has no aspirations of competing in the Olympics.

“I’m too old for that,” she said with a smile. “They call me ‘grandma.’ ”

She is the daughter of Gail and Matt Sanford of Boulder City.

Hali Bernstein Saylor is editor of the Boulder City Review. She can be reached at hsaylor@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9523. Follow @HalisComment on Twitter.

MOST READ
THE LATEST
Tennis teams crowned runners-up

Both Boulder City High School tennis programs finished as the 3A state runner-up, falling to Northern Nevada challengers.

Larson, Morris achieve dream on the court

Setting lofty goals for themselves coming into the season, senior Boulder City High School girls’ tennis stars Chayce Larson and Madeline Morris finally reached the pinnacle on Oct. 26, finishing as 3A state champions in doubles competition.

Girls soccer wins opening round match

Boulder City High School girls soccer defeated rival Moapa Valley 4-3 in the opening round of the 3A Southern region tournament on Oct. 28.

Lady Eagles capture golf title

Climbing the mountain top, Boulder City High School girls golf won the 3A state championship at Dayton Valley Golf Course on Oct. 16.

Tennis players off to state tourney

Boulder City High School tennis will send nine players to the 3A Individual state tournament starting today at Tahoe Donner Tennis Center.

Girls soccer team looks toward postseason play

Boulder City High School girls soccer advances to 14-2-1 on the season, defeating Pahrump Valley and Mater East during this week’s slate.

BCHS golf crowned 3A Southern girls champions

Boulder City High School girls golf heads into state in the driver’s seat after winning the 3A Southern Region meet on Oct. 10.

Eagles soar to regional tennis titles

Cruising into the 3A state tournament, both Boulder City High School tennis programs enter as the top seed, after winning the 3A Southern Region tournament.

Volleyball gets back into win column

Back in the win column, Boulder City High School girls volleyball advanced to 11-15 on the season, picking up a 3-0 win over Western on Oct. 14.

Lady Eagles learn from loss

Splitting this past week’s slate with a 1-1 record, Boulder City High School girls soccer fell to rival Virgin Valley, while rebounding against Sloan Canyon.