The formation of a Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) Girls Gymnastics team that will compete in the Shore Conference North Division is in the works.

A Meet the Coaches event for all interested will be held on Tuesday, May 22, at 7 p.m. in the RFH auditorium.

For Stacy Connone and Stacey Strandberg, president and vice president of the RFH Girls Gymnastics Booster Executive Board, the formation of the team was spurred on by a desire for their daughters to represent RFH in the sport they love.

As parents with girls who are competitive gymnasts, and with some of them about to begin their high school years, the conversations at home were focused around “Which school can I attend and still do gymnastics?” the parents conveyed.

As Rumson and Fair Haven residents, the obvious answer was RFH, but, parents said, there first needed to be a team they could represent. There is a large population of female gymnasts in Fair Haven and Rumson who belong to many different clubs throughout the county.

These girls are eager about the opportunity to represent their school and their towns as an RFH competitive squad. The proposal was presented to RFH Athletic Director Chris Lanzalotto in October 2017, and he was supportive of the idea and the goal to have the club ready for the 2018-19 school year. The proposal was presented to the RFH Board of Education in 2018, and was endorsed by both the Board and administration.

The reaction of the RFH community has been overwhelmingly positive as well.

“We need three gymnasts to compete as a team, and have already received a lot of great feedback and know of a few girls who have expressed interest in starting this coming fall,” said Stacy Connone. “We encourage anyone interested to join us at the ‘Meet the Coaches’ event on May 22. “

The RFH Girls Gymnastics Booster Executive Board has formed a 501c(3) organization to raise funds on behalf of the Girls Gymnastics Club. All proceeds will be used to offset the costs of the program, which is 100 percent self-funded. The Executive Board will be organizing fundraisers in the near future to minimize costs.

As part of the Shore Conference North Division, RFH Girls Gymnastics will compete against Shore Regional, Monmouth Regional, Middletown North, Middletown South, Neptune, Wall, St. John Vianney, Red Bank Catholic, and Ocean Township high schools.

Practices will be held at Barnstormers Gym in Rumson, with practice times to be decided. The practices will be run by the RFH Girls Gymnastics Team Coach. Evaluations will be held over the summer, with practices beginning in August. The meet season for high school gymnastics is September through November.

For more information, contact members of the RFH Girls Gymnastics Booster Executive Board: President Stacy Connone at [email protected]; Vice President Stacey Strandberg at [email protected]; Treasurer Richelle Frangione at [email protected]; and Secretary Catherine Sullivan at [email protected].

Experienced coaches who are interested in submitting applications should contact Chris Lanzalotto – [email protected].