A lot of chalk, sweat, and pain kept two of the hardest working young gymnasts in Region I at the top of their respective podiums for their early competitive years.  Less than a year apart, they had never before competed against each other until last season.  Meet after meet in 2008 found them dominating their competition, finishing first and second every time they squared off.  In fact, they had the highest Level 7 scores in the country.

This unofficial rivalry that has been budding since the start of the 2008 men’s club season is between Azarian’s Marty Strech and SCATS Gymnastics’ Jonah Urlaub.   They ultimately finished one-two at the California State Championships and the Region I Championships in Reno, NV. Strech won the state all-around, while Urlaub eked out the Regional title. Now they are taking their rivalry to the national level as Level 9s. They will both strut their stuff against the rest of the country at the 2009 J.O. Nationals, which will be held next April in Cincinnati, OH.

Both gymnasts have an impressive history. Urlaub won the Region I Level 6 all-around title in 2006 and Strech won Region I titles at Level 5 in 2006 and Level 6 in 2007.  And these young, talented men happen to be good friends.

Strech has been on the USA National Development Team since the age of nine. He is also a former Future Stars National Champion and will end up being a three-year Level 9, which is a rarity in the sport.  The most recent three-year Level 9, that we know of, was Black Hills’ Dominic Morris.  The 2009 club season is shaping up to be a great one, and we look forward to seeing how Marty and Jonah will fare against the best Level 9s in the country.

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