MOULTRIE – In gymnastics, like most other sports, student-athletes represent both their high school and a club in regular competition with coinciding seasons sometimes. And more often than not, they will say that it is much harder to win at the high school level.

Gymnastics is no different. Just ask Timia Fowler, who is an all-around, vault and bars national YMCA champion (2016) and part of a Moultrie team that claimed big honors last year in California. But she’s never won a GHSA title as a member of the Colquitt County High Packers team, and she has but one more shot to do so in this, her senior year.

Fowler and other young ladies who are carrying dual labels in their gymnastics careers for the moment will wear the high school Packer hat at the YMCA on Saturday for a meet that will feature two of the Colquitt County ‘region’ rivals, Lowndes High and Camden County. It is the final competition in the 2107 regular season, and coach Patti Wier said Thursday that while they already met qualifications to advance towards the GHSA championships, there is still much for even Fowler to shoot for this weekend.

“To qualify for what they call a state qualifier – what we used to call area; they’ve kind of changed the rules the last couple of years – we have to score a 101 as a team twice,” said Wier. “For an individual to qualify, they have to score 8.5 on each event three times and an all-around of 34 three times. So this meet is important for (junior) Jordan (Yates) and Timia. We’ve scored 107 (as a team) each time and have won (two) meets. The importance is for Jordan and Timia – and as a team – to get their final 8.5 or higher in each event and their 34 all-around.”

Other teams to compete on Saturday in Moultrie are a new gymnastics program from Washington County High, Jones County, Bainbridge and Thomas County-Central. Wier said they can set things up as dual meets or tri-meets, and while by Thursday she had yet to set up the schedule she feels Colquitt will directly compete against Camden and Lowndes.

“The gymnastics program’s been around probably as long as Bob Swadel’s been around,” said Wier. Other varsity team members include freshman Kelby Hunnicutt, senior Evelyn Fagan, sophomore Lillian Fagan, freshman Ellie Rigby and sophomore McKenzie Yates. Wier also coaches three middle schoolers with the high schoolers.

“We were one of the first to start the middle school program for gymnastics as a feeder to high school,” she said. “Bainbridge has followed, and Camden has a middle school program.”

FOWLER/YATES

“It took a long time to get (to a national championship),” said Fowler about the life-changing feeling. “Having my team there for me. I’ve had two ACL surgeries and ankle surgery.”

But her best GHSA performance was top six in vault.

“We’re competing against different people,” said Fowler about the differences in this championships. “I think they’re more competitive in high school. I want to win really bad. (It will take) a lot of practice, focusing.”

The focus for Fowler is not just on the high school schedule, but her continuing journey with the YMCA had the state championships for level 9, and she earned a shot at regionals in North Carolina (see related story). When that other season is wrapped up, it could be the end of her competitive career.

“I’m not really sure if I’m going to do gymnastics (in college),” said Fowler. “If I do, I’m probably going to go to Illinois. That’s where my aunt lives. If I don’t, I’m probably going to VSU. My body’s been beaten up from gymnastics. I’ve done it for 11 years.”

But that doesn’t mean she won’t continue to be involved in the growth of the sport.

Jordan Yates has put about the same amount of time into gymnastics, going back to when she was 4. Yates placed fifth on bars and ninth overall at the same national event in California last summer.

“It was really fun,” she said about that experience. “We also got first as a team. That was really fun when they called our team.”