Two locals shine in men’s gymnastics

• Wally Magnuson, left, and Sam Metzler

Wally Magnuson, left, and Sam Metzler of Hudson after a successful state competition at Minnetonka High School March 19. Submitted photo

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Sam Metzler and Wally Magnuson of Hudson have completed another successful season at competitive men’s gymnastics. Both compete at Level 7 compulsory and train at Great Northern Gymnastics in St. Paul Park, Minn. Metzler competes in the 10-11 year-old age group and Magnuson in the 12-plus age group.

Both boys competed at the Minnesota State Men’s Gymnastics Championships at Minnetonka High School on March 19. Magnuson received the All-State Academic Award for maintaining a 3.0 or higher grade point average while competing in gymnastics.

They went on to compete at the Region 4 Men’s Gymnastics Championships in Milwaukee at the Frontier Airline Center April 2-3. The Region 4 Championships included men’s gymnasts from six Midwestern states — Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska.

Magnuson took first place in the all-around in the Level 7, 12-plus age group with a score of 83.45. He also had a first place finish on the floor exercise with a score of 14.7, and third place finishes on the pommel horse (13.55) and parallel bars (14.05).

Metzler was the youngest competitor at Level 7 and finished with a season high score of 75.95. He scored a 12.0 on the pommel horse and 13.25 on the rings to boost his team’s standings in the team final.

A highlight of the Region 4 competition was meeting former Olympic gymnasts Paul and Morgan Hamm, who were on hand to pass out awards and talk with the athletes.

Metzler is the son of Matthew and Denise Metzler and is a fourth-grader at River Crest Elementary School. Magnuson is the son of Drew and Lisa Magnuson and is in eighth grade at Hudson Middle School.

Tags: sports, gymnastics, prep