Journal Sports Editor

NEW ULM — Gymnasts of all ages twisted and turned out for the 56th Turnfest on Thursday morning in the Women’s 30+ Gymnastics Competition at the Turner Gymnastics Academy Facility.

Gymnasts from around the country showed up to show off their skills and compete, none more experienced than 94-year-old Carol Udovich.

Udovich was born and raised in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and still resides there to this day. She got her start in gymnastics at 6 years old.

Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Maria Wiltscheck warms up on the beam Thursday during the Women’s 30+ Gymnastics Competition at the Turner Gymnastics Academy Facility in New Ulm.

“My mother started me with Turner classes when I was 6,” she said. “So I just stayed with the program until I was 13, then I left. When I was 25, I came back, and that’s when I started apparatus [gymnastics].”

This was the 16th Turnfest event Udovich has competed in.

“My first [Turnfest] meet was in 1963,” Udovich said. “But my very first meet was in 1960, I was a late bloomer.”

Udovich said what’s kept her fit over the years has been the willingness to keep moving.

“Just keep moving,” she said. “You slow down no matter what it is, maybe housework, maybe yard work, just keep going.”

Former New Ulm-ite Maria Wiltscheck was another gymnast at the event. Wiltscheck, 34, has resided in North Carolina since 2016, but she got her start in gymnastics around 4 years old when moving to New Ulm with her family.

“I was in it until about 12 years old, and then I quit, but I got back into it,” she said. “I’ve done it sporadically. I would randomly find a gym and I would see if I could still do stuff. But I haven’t really done much practicing, I did open gym at the beginning of the year not knowing this was going to happen. And this is happening, and I’m still in shape, it’s muscle memory, it’s all muscle memory. I stay in shape, I go to the gym.”

Wiltscheck said she made her decision to participate in Turnfest for the first time ever back in April.

“I came back about 10 days ago to visit family because I see them maybe once a year,” she said. “And I also chose this week so I could do the Turnfest gymnastics festival.”

Despite Wiltscheck’s sporadic participation, she competed in all four events Thursday, starting off the day with an impressive and entertaining floor routine.

In Wiltscheck’s 30- to 39-year-old age group was Erica Pangburn, Lisa Greenwell and Amber Pangburn of Kentucky-River City, and Larissa Piper of Missouri-Concordia.

There were 25 gymnasts competing in Thursday’s event.