MEEKER I Betty Kincher of Meeker has good reason to be proud of her grandson Brian this year.
Brian Kincher is visiting his grandmother in Meeker this fall. For the past six years, he has been in California, pursuing excellence in his chosen sport of acrobatic gymnastics and his hard work has paid off.
He and his partner, Cassadra Lim (of San Ramon, Calif.), recently won the senior elite mixed pairs all-around title at the 2011 National Acrobatic Gymnastic held in San Jose, Calif., at the end of July. The pair also won first place in the 2011 Flanders International Acro Cup in Puurs, Belgium.
Acrobatic gymnastics combines the strength and agility of acrobatics with the beauty of dance. Choreographed to music, the routines include dance, synchronized tumbling and balance elements. Kincher has been involved in the sport for about 10 years. He has competed internationally in Belgium, Poland, England and Russia as well as a half dozen cities nationwide.
He began training and competing in Fort Collins, Colo., at Mountain Center Gymnastics, then moved to Livermore, Calif., to train at West Coast Training Center.
Kincher capped off this successful season with two national awards: athlete of the year and sportsperson of the year, before announcing his retirement from this sport.
After spending the last decade in the gym training for competitions he is looking into the possibilities of a career in professional gymnastic performance shows.
Meanwhile, Kincher is enjoying his time in Meeker with Grandma Betty as well as visiting with his aunt Stacie and uncle Fay and especially his cousin Jeniffer.
For more information about acrobatic gymnastics, visit www.usa-gymnastics.org.
