Paradigm Athletic Center gymnasts qualify for prestigious national events

Florida - Three gymnasts from the Paradigm Athletic Center’s Gymnastics Team qualified to the prestigious Level 9 Eastern National Championships and Level 10 Developmental National.

Zoe Santiago, age 13 of Middletown and Avie Frankl, age 14 of Walden, will represent New York and Region 6 at the Level 9 Eastern National Championships in Savannah, Ga., taking place from April 30 through May 3.

Emily Walsh, 14 of Warwick, will compete against the country’s top athletes at the Developmental Level 10 National Championships in Oklahoma City, taking place from May 6 through May 10.

The Paradigm Athletic Center athletes earned their spots on the Region 6 Team by beating out other athletes in their age division at the Region 6 Championships held in Springfield, Mass., on April 11-12.

Santiago won the bronze medal on the uneven bars and silvers on the balance beam and in the all-around. She became the Floor Exercise Regional Champion by winning gold in that event.

Frankl also won the bronze medal on the uneven bars and silvers on the balance beam and in the all- around to clinch her ticket to Eastern Nationals for the second year in a row.

Walsh performed fiercely to lock in her spot on the Region 6 Team, finishing fifth in the all around. She took home the silver medal on the vault and the bronze medal on the uneven bars. This will be the third consecutive National Championships for Walsh, her first as a Level 10 athlete.

Training and support

The impressive journeys of Santiago, Frankl and Walsh, who train 22-hours a week at Paradigm Athletic Center’s 41,000-square-foot-facility, were guided the efforts of Paradigm’s owner and head coach, Kristin Welsh, and coach Brielle Benoski.

Welsh who bought the former Orange County Sports Club with her husband in 2024 and served as the head coach of their competitive girls’ gymnastic team, has been involved with the sport of gymnastics for 35 years. A former competitive athlete herself, Welch said she has coached hundreds of state champions, 77 regional champions, 11 National Qualifiers and one National Champion. She also serves as a choreographer and a Level 10 judge.

Benoski started gymnastics at two years old and trained competitively for 15 years. She trained as a level 10 until injuries forced her into retirement. Her love and compassion for the sport brought her to coaching. She has had the luxury of coaching on the East and West Coast, where she worked with amazing college coaches and at many college camps like HPC. She started working at Paradigm in the fall of 2025 and her passion and years of experience have been pivotal to the program’s growing success.

“For team athletes like Avie, Zoe, and Emily we are trying to give them the life skill to reach great heights in their sport and in their life after sport. Many of these athletes dream of being recruited into Division 1 Gymnastics programs. Coach Bree, my other team staff, and I endeavor to help each athlete reach their personal goal. Qualifying for these National meets is just one step in a long journey towards reaching those goals,” said Welch.