Sunnyvale's Shelby Matsuoka won the all-around championship in her age group at the state gymnastics meet.
Photograph courtesy of Matsuoka family
Matsuoka an all-around gymnast champ
Sunnyvale girl wins state crown
By Dick Sparrer
Shelby Matsuoka is just your typical all-around student at West Valley Elementary School in Sunnyvale.
Well, maybe not quite typical. Because she can do things on the outdoor play equipment at her school that no other fourth-grader should even attempt.
You see, Shelby is more than just an all-round elementary school student--she's an all-around gymnastics champion.
Matsuoka won the state all-around championship in Level 7 (ages 8-10) at the state gymnastics meet held earlier this spring in Rohnert Park. She posted an impressive score of 37.3 competing on the balance beam, in vaulting, on the uneven bars and in the floor exercise.
Matsuoka, who has been involved in gymnastics since she was 3 years old, earned a place on the State Level 7 team with her performance and also helped her squad, the Airborne Gymnastics Team, complete an undefeated season.
Earlier in the year, Matsuoka won the all-around in the 2001 Go For It Classic in Las Vegas, Nev. She finished first in all four events on her way to the all-around victory.