Published: Monday, Nov. 23, 2009 / Updated: Monday, Nov. 23, 2009 05:53 AM

Rock Hill competition draws 800 gymnasts

McKinlay Bryant was nervous Sunday before competing in the floor exercise.

The Northwestern High School freshman had been anxious for her first competition during the Crown of the Carolinas Invitational, which drew more than 800 competitors and hundreds more fans to Winthrop University's West Center.

“It's really exhilarating,” McKinlay said, smiling in her red and black sequined leotard. “At first, you're really nervous.”

She said that feeling goes away after the first event.

Don't just take her word for it.

With ease, McKinlay grabs a bar in the gym. She lifts herself up over one bar before flipping around it and connecting with the higher bar. She needed a little help from a coach to get over the higher bar but landed with a smile.

McKinlay, 14, has participated in gymnastics for five years, but this weekend was her first competition, she said.

She loves competing in the floor exercise.

“I just feel so free,” she said. “Plus, it's on a flat surface.”

That's where she took her highest mark — 8.3 out of 10.

“Pretty good for my first competition,” McKinlay said.

Her teammates cheered, “Come on McKinlay!” as she ran along a mat, vaulted into the air, landed on a mat and sat up with her hands in the air smiling at the judges.

Then, on to the beam, the event McKinlay says she needs to work more at. She is a little wobbly on the beam but lands a cartwheel off the beam. Again with a smile.

McKinlay competed with Thomas Gymnastics of Rock Hill, which hosted the invitational competition.

In its third year, said Mark Bonsky of Thomas Gymnastics, the competition drew 45 teams from 10 states — from Pennsylvania to Florida — and from the island of Barbados, off the northern coast of South America.

Hundreds of spectators filtered through the gym Saturday and Sunday during the second largest gymnastics competition in the state to see about 850 athletes ages 6 to 18 compete for ribbons and banners.

Eight-year-old Mary Frances Hall was one of those athletes.

Also in her fifth year of gymnastics, this weekend's competition was one of her first. “It's challenging,” the smiling Sunset Park student said. “You get to learn new things.”

Mary Frances likes the bars the best, but the beam is the hardest because of all the balance involved.

She likes competitions because there are a lot of people — gymnasts and fans.

“It's fun to watch what the other people do,” Mary Frances said.

This competition started as a dual meet at Thomas Gymnastics and has grown over the last couple years to an event that pulls teams from all over, owner Sally Thomas said.

The team from Barbados traveled 2,400 miles to compete in Rock Hill after hearing about the tournament from someone from Bermuda who made the trip to the tournament last year.

“We heard about this meet by a fluke,” Alison Jackson of Flip Gym Barbados said.

“We went online and saw the information and decided to go for it.”

Jackson brought 12 gymnasts ages 8 to 16 to compete in a gymnastics system they have studied.

“It's important for the kids to compete against Americans, whose program we follow,” Jackson said. “We love it so far.”

They traveled on Thursday to give the team a chance to rest before the two-day competition — although, Jackson said, that day turned into a shopping day.

“Things are cheaper here than they are for us,” Jackson said.

One of the gymnasts on the Barbados team, 16-year-old La Toya Ince, is a natural, Jackson said.

La Toya, who started about six years ago, says she's best at the bars.

She enjoys meeting new people at competitions.

“I enjoy the whole competing atmosphere,” La Toya said. “Just being able to match up against others who are in the sport.”

The Crown of the Carolinas Foundation is a nonprofit organization that hosts the event, Bonsky said. Profits from the competition help pay for $15,000 in scholarships to York County gymnasts.

New this year, Bonsky said, is a Winthrop University scholarship in the name of Thomas Gymnastics owner and Winthrop graduate, Sally Thomas.

The scholarship of at least a $1,000 will be awarded this spring to a student who has a cheerleading or gymnastics background, Thomas said.