Historic Poole Forge to present

trout derby, photography show

BY FRANCINE FULTON

Historic Poole Forge (HPF) has scheduled its annual Children’s Trout Derby and a photography show featuring the work of local photographers.

The ninth annual Children’s Trout Derby is set for Saturday, April 22. Registration will be from 8 to 9 a.m., with fishing slated for

9 a.m. to noon. The free event will be held rain or shine.

Children will be divided into two age groups: ages 4 to 8 and ages 9 to 12. Prizes will be awarded in both groups. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Food, including breakfast sandwiches, will be offered by the Caernarvon Fire Company ladies auxiliary.

See Poole Forge pg 3

ACPR Gymnastics in Maryland, where we lived. It was three times a week while my mom did her baton classes at the same place,” Katelynn explained. “After the first season (of gymnastics), they moved me to Level 3, and I moved up from there. I gave up baton in seventh grade (to focus on gymnastics).”

Katelynn is now a member of Berks Gymnastics Academy in Reading, where she practices five days a week perfecting her floor routine and skills on the vault, balance beam and the uneven bars. “I go after school on Mondays through Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m. and on Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m.,” she noted.

Katelynn said that competing in the floor exercises is her favorite; however, she has been most successful at vault, which requires gymnasts to sprint down a runway before launching off a springboard over the vault. Then they perform aerial maneuvers before landing on a mat on the opposite side of the vault, which stands at 4 feet tall.

“The hardest part with the vault is sticking the landing. You have so much power, it’s hard to (land),” she noted.

She also had to get accustomed to performing in front of a large audience. “I just try and keep eye contact with my teammates and people I am familiar with, and, of course, you have to smile at the judges,” Katelynn said. While her social activities have been curtailed because of the rigorous schedule of practices and the competition season, which runs from December through May, she still enjoys the challenge. “I love this sport with everything,” she said. “The achievements are the best part.”

Katelynn said that she plans to continue gymnastics in college after high school, where she is a member of the TVHS Varsity Club. “(To be in Varsity Club), you have to have a 3.5 GPA or higher and must be in a varsity sport at school,” she said, noting that she participates in track and field. She also has a part-time job at Berks Gymnastics. “I coach on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the gym,” she said. “(People at the gym) are like my family.”