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By Lucy Balch
 Gymnastics enthusiasts are still talking about the Beijing Summer Olympics and bemoaning the long, four-year wait until London’s Olympics, but there’s an upcoming event right here in Richmond that will help to bridge the gap. It’s the Jerrell Steele Winter Blast 2009, taking place the weekend of January 9th through the 11th. Tickets should go on sale either late November or early December, and they can be bought for either one day at a time or for the whole weekend.
Started in 2001 by Gym Quest owners Doug and Colleen Lubking, the Jerrell Steele Winter Blast is the largest coed gymnastics meet on the East Coast. Approximately 1,000 competitors come from a multitude of states, including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Gymnasts compete at seven different levels for bronze, silver and gold medals, with the top overall teams earning trophies. The boys will compete for medals in floor, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, and horizontal bars. The girls will compete on the vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and the floor.
Doug Lubking is the state director for boy’s gymnastics in Virginia, and has been coaching for 20 years. When he opened Gym Quest’s doors in 2001 he was determined to bring a major competition to the Richmond area, and that is exactly what he’s done with the Jerrell Steele Winter Blast. It grew in size over the years, requiring the sizeable Siegel Center by 2005. Richmond’s Channel 12 has covered the event for the last two years.
This year, three-time Olympian John Roethlisberger will be on hand to give out medals and trophies and to sign autographs. Justin Spring, a member of the bronze-medal-winning 2008 Olympic men’s gymnastics team, will be in attendance as well, to sign autographs and enjoy the show. He competed in the Jerrell Steele Winter Blast in 2002.
Vendors at the event will sell all types of gymnastics products and gear, as well as souvenir T-shirts and a wide array of foods and snacks. Two available parking lots will provide easy access to the event.
For more information about the Jerrell Steele Winter Blast, contact Gym Quest at 262-9400, or visit their website at www.gymquest.org.
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