Section Has Only 9 Teams in Gymnastics

Looking to watch a high school girls’ gymnastics meet in Orange County? Look no farther than Brea Olinda or Aliso Niguel, as these are the county’s only schools that still field teams.

That’s a far cry from the 32 schools that competed in girls’ gymnastics in 1979, the year Ron Hampton took over the program at Brea Olinda.

“I’ve seen the trend coming for a long time,” Hampton said. “Every year we lose another team.”

The Southern Section has not held a team championship meet since 1985. The final girls’ individual championships were held last year, and the boys’ individual competition ended in 1984. Currently there are only nine girls’ teams in the section, and no boys’ teams.

San Clemente and Dana Hills dropped their programs at the end of last season, and Capistrano Valley the year before.

Last week, Hampton resigned as gymnastics coach but will remain at Brea as boys’ athletic director. He had 28 athletes on his varsity and junior varsity teams this past season and another 80 students in beginning gymnastics offered in P.E. classes.

Hampton and Rob O’Rear, San Clemente’s athletic director, each cited a lack of qualified coaches and officials, equipment purchase and repair funds and travel costs as reasons for the decline of prep gymnastics programs.

O’Rear said the future of the sport is with private clubs, but Hampton expects Brea’s program to continue under a new coach.

“Soon there will be so few schools competing,” Hampton said, “that we will have to have five meets against the same school each year.”