Humboldt High School once again played host to the MN Men’s Gymnastics Team in the 10th Annual MN GymACT Invitational (formerly known as the Ski-U-Mah Invite). This was a very special event as we honored the 5 seniors who laid the foundation of this GymACT Program when we first got some traction after losing our varsity status at the University of Minnesota.

Haden Paravecino, Kekoa Taylor, Justin Lancisi, Brandon Kim, and Owen Frank were honored at the end of the competition for their stabilizing influence on the fledgling Minnesota GymACT Program back in 2022 and 2023. Haden & Kekoa are local products from North Shore Gymnastics and Great Northern Gymnastics, respectively. They were both part of the inaugural recruiting class and entered the program in the Summer of 2021, shortly after Minnesota became a GymACT Program.

“These guys put supreme faith in this program and basically helped it start out as 2 of only 7 team members in the ‘21-‘22 season,” said head coach Mike Burns. “If it wasn’t for Haden & Koa, we never would have been able to field a full team that first year, but as it was, they helped us secure a 4th place finish at the GymACT National Championships and get a string of 4 straight Eastern Conference Championships started!”

Minnesota owes a ton of gratitude to these two ‘Pioneers’ of the program who not only trusted what we wanted to do but helped us create the building blocks of one of the most dominant GymACT Teams in the country.

Justin, Brandon, and Owen joined the team the next year as part of a freshman class of six (Jude Norris, Noah Wills, and Jake White were the other three incoming freshmen. Jude transitioned to be our Director of Operations his sophomore year; Noah graduated in 3 years and is now in Law School at St. Thomas University; and Jake moved back east where he works for the Department of Defense).

Justin hails from Centennial, CO and attended Pinnacle Gymnastics. An Aerospace Engineering major, Justin puts his knowledge of flight mechanics to work daily in the gym as a high-flying performer on the high bar. Justin is the king of release moves and has successfully performed three of the hardest release moves in the FIG Code of Points.

Brandon hails from Oakland, CA and attended Head Over Heels Athletics. He is a Biology major at Macalester College in St. Paul and has been one of our team’s co-Captains for the past two seasons. Brandon is taking the pre-med route and is preparing to take the MCAT exams later this spring. Brandon excels on the Still Rings and Parallel Bars.

Owen hails from Pownal, ME and attended Yellow Jackets Gymnastics in the metro Boston area (a 2-hour drive from Maine one way!!). Owen is studying Kinesiology and actually graduated a semester early in December of 2025. He is planning to stay involved in fitness and gymnastics and wants to expand his work in exercise business development. Owen is currently ranked #1 in the nation on Still Rings.

It was a great evening to celebrate these five amazing Minnesota Gymnastics Team Members at an amazing competition. They were draped with a Block M blanket, signifying the support and strength of the team bond that holds these 5 seniors and the rest of the team together through all sorts of memorable experiences.

MINNESOTA GymACT TEAM 1 TOPS A STRONG FIELD AT THE MN GymACT INVITATIONAL

Six GymACT Teams did battle at the competition with Minnesota’s Team 1 taking top honors and winning the top Prize Money Check of $1500. Other teams on hand were Iowa, Northern Illinois, and Kansas City. Both Minnesota and Northern Illinois fielded two teams apiece for a full slate of GymACT Teams competing for the top three spots to bring home the Prize Money ($1500 for 1st, $900 for 2nd, and $500 for 3rd).

The final results looked like this:

1. MN GymACT Team 1             305.80  - $1500 winner

2. Iowa GymACT                       290.25  -  $900 winner

3. MN GymACT Team 2             280.70  - ineligible for prize money

4. NIU Team 1                             280.40  -  $500 winner

5. Kansas City                             130.45

6. NIU Team 2                             110.40

The Event Champions were as follows:

Floor Exercise – Raif Schaffner, Iowa              14.00

Pommel Horse – Paul Acker, Minnesota         12.85

Still Rings – Owen Frank, Minnesota              13.30

Vault – Caleb Gurman, Minnesota                   14.35

Parallel Bars – Owen Frank, Minnesota          13.05

High Bar – Warren Strootman, Minnesota     12.60

The MN GymACT Invitational is an annual fundraiser for the program and while the number of junior gymnasts in the meet was down a bit this year, it was still a great weekend of well-organized gymnastics excitement. Big shoutout to all the Team Parents who showed up to help with the meet or attend to see their senior son be honored. We have an amazing group of parents who are so supportive of their kids and are so supportive of this program.

A special shout out to Ken & Sheri Taylor (parents of senior Koa Taylor) who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in so many ways to help us out. They are instrumental in the running of this competition with their enthusiasm and organizational wizardry. So supportive and willing to help out in so many ways, spending the entire day – both days – running the admissions table, selling shout outs and apparel, and keeping a keen eye on the concession stand at Humboldt High School. A thousand thank you’s to these two marvelous people!!

GOPHERS NEXT MEET IS THE MIGS PROGRAM INVITATIONAL AT HUMBOLDT HIGH SCHOOL

Minnesota will be in action again this Saturday, February 28th, at the 24th Annual MIGS Program Invitational. Action will get underway at 5:35 pm at Humboldt High School, located at 30 E Baker St, St Paul, MN 55107. Admission will be $15 for adults and $5 for children under 10 and Seniors over 55. College Students will be admitted free with the College ID.

The Men’s Intercollegiate Gymnastics Support Program was founded by Assistant Coach Bob Wuornos in 2003 and its mission is to preserve, protect, enhance, and expand collegiate gymnastic student-athlete opportunities for current and future generations of collegiate gymnasts.

The competition will get underway at 5:35 pm and Minnesota will once again be fielding two teams on the floor. We will also be competing alongside the Level 9 and Level 10 gymnasts registered for the meet. It will be a great opportunity to see our team as well as look at the local talent in the upper levels of developmental gymnastics.

FOUNDATION GYMNASTICS CONTINUES INCREASING ENROLLMENT

Our Preschool and Rec Programs are slowly but surely seeing more and more kids in the local vicinity signing up for classes. It’s been gaining some traction and all the kids who are currently enrolled are having a great time in class and learning the basics of gymnastics from members of the team who are part of the coaching staff. Thanks to all who are making Foundation Gymnastics a destination for kids in St. Paul. Information on our program can be found on the Foundation Gymnastics website: www.foundationgym.org.

STICK THE DISMOUNT FUNDRAISER

The annual Stick the Dismount campaign was launched last month. This campaign has gone on for almost 20 years, bringing in thousands of dollars for the Minnesota Men’s Gymnastics Program.

The way it works is participants can pledge a dollar amount per Stuck Dismount through the year. Last year we had a total of 103 stuck dismounts so that’s a number you can use to gauge your potential pledge. So, if you pledged $2 per stick and we stick 103 dismounts again, you’d be donating $206 at the end of the season.

Here’s a link to the STUCK DISMOUNT PLEDGE GOOGLE FORM:

https://STICK THE DISMOUNT CAMPAIGN

You can cap your pledge or make a one-time donation on behalf of the Stick The Dismount campaign. This is a great way to follow the team throughout the season and provide support based on their level of success.

We had 18 Stuck Dismounts at the MN GymACT Invitational so we’re on the move and we saw a nice increase in the number of sticks in that meet. Hopefully the team will continue to fight for those landings and continue to bring in funding for the program. As of this writing, the team has stuck 57 dismounts.

Donations to the program are always greatly appreciated and can be made through our website: www.minnesotagymnastics.org.