LAKEPORT, Calif. – After a winning performance at the state competition this past weekend, a young Lakeport gymnast is now preparing for a trip to the regional finals next month.

Catch Devore, 13, attended the NorCal Level 4-5 State Championships in San Luis Obispo on Saturday.

He placed second all-around out of 39 gymnasts ages 11 and up from Region 1, which includes portions of California, Nevada and Oregon.

Along with Catch, 12-year-old Tanner Broyles of Kelseyville also competed at the state championships, just missing the regional qualification but still putting on a very strong performance, all the while dealing with an injured hand.

Unlike the beginning Level 4, gymnasts like Catch and Tanner in Level 5 must qualify in competition to attend the state championships, according to their coach – and Catch's dad – Roger Devore.

Catch placed first on high bar, with a score of 10.750, and came in second on parallel bars, eighth on vault and fifth on the floor exercise, while tying for fifth on rings and tying for fourth on pommel horse.

Tanner finished 15th all around. He had a fifth place, medal-winning performance on parallel bars, earning a 9.950 score. He placed 17th on high bar, 16th on rings, 14th on pommel horse, 10th on vault and ninth on the floor exercise.

Both boys practice at Skycatch Gymnastics – located at 888 Lakeport Blvd. in the Vista Point Shopping Center in Lakeport – which is owned by Jerae and Roger Devore.

Annette Broyles, Tanner's mom, said the young gymnasts don't focus so much on winning or losing at the competitions, but rather on meeting personal goals, such as strengthening particular skills.

While he would have liked to join Catch at regionals, Broyles said Tanner met his personal goals for the competition.

And, after an exhausting weekend of competition and travel, the boys were back in the gym on Monday, she said.

The competitive gymnastics season runs from December to March, with the championship season now under way for Catch.

Still, practice goes on year-round, and Catch and his fellow gymnasts again were practicing their skills on Wednesday evening.

Broyles and Jerae Devore said the gym has two mottoes: “Don't let your excitement steal your focus” and “Teamwork makes the dream work.”

Catch next competes at the Region 1 Championships, which takes place in Santa Clara April 6 to 10, according to the Region 1 gymnastics Web site. Jerae Devore they have not yet been told which day he'll compete.

Jerae Devore said that, thanks to his placement, Catch will be a member of the all-star team representing Region 1 – the top four are chosen – and that he's been fitted with a uniform for the event.

Another benefit of being an all-star team member is that Catch also has been gifted with a day camp on April 3 in Davis to help prepare for the regional competition, his mother said.

In the run up to the regional competition, Jerae Devore said her son will work on his routines and flexibility, and polish his skills on the six disciplines in his level – floor exercise, high beam, parallel bars, pommel horse, rings and vault.

Once regionals are past, the season for Level 5 gymnasts will end, Broyles said.

Catch – like Tanner – is now set to advance to Level 6. They will continue practicing in the months ahead for their next competitive season, which starts in December, said Jerae Devore.

Once they're in Level 6, they'll not only have the chance to participate at the state and regional level, but also at the national level, according to Roger Devore, who was busy Wednesday evening training all of his young male gymnasts, who overall have had a winning season.

Throughout the last several months of competitions the boys – including Level 4 gymnasts Alex Fordham, Tanner's younger brother Trey Broyles, and Jaden Wienke – have racked up a collection of medals.

In addition to learning new skills, Catch and Tanner are looking forward to participating in a prestigious summertime gymnastics camp at Stanford University and the “Future Stars” program in September, which is meant to develop young gymnasts for the national team, Jerae Devore said.

She said it's been great to watch the boys grow in their sport, recalling how they started when they were little, and how today they keep moving ahead thanks to their hard work and dedication.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.