Held in Toledo, Ohio, Elevate the Stage is an important meet for many gymnasts. The meet hosts both club and college gymnasts, and both will be broadcast live on FloGymnastics. This year, the club competition is Feb. 22-24, and there are many exciting gymnasts who plan to attend. 

Here are seven gymnasts to keep an eye on during this high-stakes weekend.

1. Ariana Agrapides, Premier Gymnastics Academy

This gymnast is one to watch at Elevate the Stage Toledo. If her competitive history is any indication, Agrapides has a good chance of winning big at this meet. Vault is Agrapides’ favorite event and in both 2018 and 2017, she tied for sixth on vault at JO Nationals. She competed at the P&G Championships in 2014 and 2013, winning first on vault in the 2013 meet. She also placed second on bars and tied for fourth on vault in the 2014 American Classic, as well as second on vault in the 2013 Secret U.S. Classic. 2013 was a good year for this gymnast overall, as she placed first all-around, first on bars and second on vault, beam and floor at the American Classic and tied for second on vault, took fifth on bars and placed ninth all-around at JO Nationals. 

2. Aria Brusch, Cincinnati Gymnastics

Graduating this spring, Brusch is sure to make her senior season a good one. Her 2018 season ended spectacularly, as she tied for eighth on both bars and vault at JO Nationals. She has done well in the past at JO Nationals, taking fifth all-around and tying for fifth on bars and beam in 2017. In 2014, 2015 and 2016, she competed in the P&G Championships, placing fourth on bars in 2014. At the 2016 Secret Classic she took third on floor, seventh all-around and eighth on bars. She competed in the U.S. Secret Classic in both 2015 and 2016, and the U.S. Challenge in 2013. At that meet in 2013, she took ninth on vault and bars, fourth on beam, eighth on floor and ninth all-around. Brusch is sure to live up to her past scores, as this is her last chance at standing on the podium at this meet. In her 2019 season, she has already competed in the Circle of Stars meet and placed first on bars with a 9.700, giving a promising start to her year. 

3. Lily Clapper, Gym America

A gymnast at Gym America graduating in 2022, Clapper is expected to perform well at this meet. Last season was her first as a level 10 and she already performed clean routines then, so she is only more ready to be consistent this year. In 2018, she took sixth on beam, floor and all-around at the Region 5 Championships, qualifying for JO Nationals. In 2017, she took sixth all-around, second on floor and first on vault at level 9 regionals, as well as third on vault and second on floor at level 9 Eastern Nationals. She trains between 22 to 24 hours each week and is coming into this season with more expertise and mental strength than ever before. Fans should especially keep an eye out for her vault, a strong Yurchenko layout, as well as her double pike on floor.

4. Lucy Tobia, Parkettes National Gymnastics Center

Tobia has already begun her season well, scoring a 35.875 all-around at Hill’s MD Classic. She also placed fifth on bars and seventh on vault at the same meet, giving her a solid start and goals to work towards. Previously, she has shown her strength in the all-around, not leaning too heavily on one event or another. At the 2018 Level 9 Eastern Championships, she took fourth all-around, tying for 10th on vault, placing ninth on bars, sixth on beam and tying for fifth on floor. At regionals in 2018, she took second all-around with a 37.925, first on beam with a 9.625 and fifth on vault, bars and floor. State was a good meet for her as well, where she took sixth all-around, tied for third on vault and tied for second on beam. Other 2018 season highlights included taking first all-around at the 44th Parkettes Invitational and the Fiesta Bowl. She also placed first on all four events at the Fiesta Bowl, and second on vault and bars, tied for first on beam and took first on floor at the 44th Parkettes Invitational. 

5. Adriana Bustelo, Cincinnati Gymnastics

Bustelo’s routines are jam-packed with difficult skills, and if she competes them as clean as she has in the past, she has a good chance of doing well at this meet. Her vault is a Yurchenko full, she has two back handsprings to a back layout series on beam and she competes a double Arabian and a punch front to double back on floor. Floor is a strong point for her, and at 2018 JO Nationals, she took eighth on the event with a 9.550. At regionals last season she placed second on both beam and floor, as well as seventh all-around with a 37.150. She placed third all-around and on floor at state in 2018, fourth on vault, fifth on beam and eighth on bars. If 2019 is as strong of a season as last year was, fans should keep an eye out for this dynamite gymnast in this competition. Before making her way to Elevate the Stage, Bustelo will also compete in Circle of Stars, Coaches Spectacular, Buckeye Classic and Pikes Peak Cup in the 2019 season. 

6. Brooke Irwin, Airborne Colorado

A class of 2022 gymnast currently competing for Airborne Colorado, Irwin is set to have a great meet at Elevate the Stage Toledo. She already had a great start to her 2019 season, taking first all-around at the Sweetheart Invitational with a 36.850. At that meet ,she also placed first on vault and floor, took fifth on bars and tied for third on beam. At the Airborne Winter Classic, she took first all-around again, this time with a 36.825, and swept first place on vault, bars and floor, taking second on beam. She will compete at three more meets before Elevate the Stage Toledo, including the Metroplex Challenge, Pikes Peak Cup and the Winterfest Classic, giving her confidence and strength going into the meet. Her 2018 season ended well, as she took first on vault and floor at State Championships with a 9.750 and 9.425 respectively, then was awarded first all-around at Regional Championships for her 37.825. At regionals, she tied for first on vault with a 9.600, took second on floor with a 9.475 and third on beam with a 9.450. JO Nationals finished up her season, where she tied for second on vault with a 9.675 and placed sixth all-around with a 37.975. 

7. Olivia Zsarmani, KPAC

After a successful end to her 2018 season, Zsarmani is ready for a new challenge this year. She ended her last season by taking fourth all-around at state with a 37.100, third on beam with a 9.375 and fourth on floor. She advanced to regionals, placing fifth all-around with a 37.350, took first on vault with a 9.650, third on floor with a 9.550 and fourth on vault with a 9.550. At Level 9 Eastern Championships, she tied for fifth all-around with a 37.100, and impressively placed first on vault with a 9.600. She also tied for sixth on bars, scoring a 9.375. After her successful last season, she started this year at the Star Struck Invitational, where she took sixth all-around with a 35.575. She also tied for second on beam with a 9.525 and tied for third on floor with a 9.400. Spectators expect her to perform well again at Elevate the Stage Toledo, and many will be there to cheer her on as she performs. 

Miranda Martin is a freelance writer who writes about gymnastics, social justice issues, and more. You can follow her on Twitter, Instagram, or contact her through her website.