The most comprehensive men’s club gymnastics website in existence is arguably that of USA’s Region 5, which encompasses Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky. The website was created and is maintained by Sonja Rupe, a dedicated gym mom from Indiana. Sonja wanted to create a place for other parents to go to find answers to questions that can’t typically be found easily anywhere else.

The feature that most amazes visitors is the "rankings" page, which shows the scores of almost every gymnast in the region. At any point during the season, each gymnast can see where he ranks in the region. Not only that, but there are rankings for each state. We statistics freaks know all too well how frustrating it is to find scores. Other than MeetScoresOnline, the Region 5 Stats Site is the place to go for Region 5 scores. Quite frankly, we at StickItMedia believe that posting scores is next to godliness, because it’s invaluable to have a historical record for all gymnasts.

The site also has a calendar of upcoming events and links to the results of past events. Not only does the calendar list Region events, but it lists events for all nine regions and elite competitions. Additionally, there are links to every gym in the region.

StickItMedia recently had the pleasure of interviewing Sonja Rupe:

SIM: How important do you believe it is to compile a historical record of Region 5 gymnasts?

Sonja: I don’t know that it is important, but I know several parents have told me they really appreciate it.

SIM: How cooperative are the Region 5 states/gyms in providing you with information?

Sonja: There are a handful of gyms that have jumped on board to help feed me info. Those people are invaluable to me. The rest, I figure, either don’t know about it, or are too busy to participate.

SIM: What do you think is the most important part of maintaining a regional website?

Sonja: Keeping it up-to-date so people have a good source of information.

SIM: Would you like to see a central clearinghouse, like MeetScoresOnline, maintain a historical record for all gymnasts throughout the country? If so, how would you go about promoting it and getting clubs/states/regions to participate.

Sonja: I never thought about that. I don’t have any ideas on how to get clubs/states/regions to participate. Shy of making it mandatory from USAG, I don’t see it happening.

SIM: Over the years, what events, gymnasts or seasons stand out the most in your mind?

Sonja: I have been doing this in some capacity for six years now. There are too many events, gymnasts and seasons to remember any of them in particular.

SIM: Last season, in particular, what were the highlights for Region 5?

Sonja: Last season is hard for me to answer that. My son was a senior and I was really busy trying to get senior stuff done as well as staying on top of the Region 5 site. I literally posted everything without absorbing any of it! I do know that we had a few men at the VISA Championships and one of Region 5 guys, David Sender, won.

SIM: What has been the most rewarding thing about maintaining the region 5 website?

Sonja: My most rewarding thing about maintaining the website is when I get an e-mail from a parent who was able to find something they had been looking for and finally found it on the Region 5 site. Since that is my goal, that situation is the most rewarding.

SIM: Please add anything you’d like to say about Region 5, past , present or future.

Sonja: I do know that Region 5 is a strong region and I hope that it continues to be that way. I never expected for people to like the site as much as they do, but I thank everyone for their support.

StickItMedia would like to thank Sonja Rupe for her dedication to men’s gymnastics and for maintaining such a great website. Make sure you pay it a visit.

http://www.rvmss.org/Reg5Men or http://www.region5men.org

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