Centenary Gymnastics Community Service Involvement
We are the Centenary Ladies. We will uphold the legacy of Centenary Gymnastics and strive to be inspirational leaders for past, present and future teams. We will encourage and support each other in our individual and team growth towards becoming the best version of ourselves. We will build a positive, respectful, and reliable atmosphere throughout our community. We create a strong foundation for our belief system by staying true to these core values:
· Passion
· Loyalty
· Perseverance
This is the MISSION of Centenary Gymnastics.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Walk Like MADD 2023
Each year the Centenary Gymnastics team hosts Walk Like MADD to honor Sylvia Keiter’s memory as well as bring awareness to the dangers of drinking and driving. This year we had over 150 in-person attendees in addition to multiple NCAA gymnastics teams- University of Wisconsin Lacrosse, University of Bridgeport, University of Maryland, University of New Hampshire, Yale University, University of Arizona, Texas Women’s University, and Talladega College. Thank you to all participants for making this year another success!
Words from Head Coach Margaret Crowley:
“Thank you all for coming out today. This is a very important cause to the Centenary Ladies Gymnastics team, and we really appreciate you all's support today.
Today we walk the Centenary Mile to raise awareness and support for Mothers Against Driving Drunk or MADD. So why is this cause important to us?
5.5 years ago, Sylvia Keiter, a Centenary Gymnastics alumnus, was driving to Dallas late at night. There was a car stopped on the side of the road, so Sylvia, being Sylvia, pulled over and her and her boyfriend went out to help them. While they were helping, a drunk driver swerved off the road and hit her. She died on the scene.
Now many of you here don’t know Sylivia, and this may be the first time you have heard your story. The same was true for our newcomer gymnast, so this past Saturday night I took some time during our Roll Call to share her story. I was fortunate enough to be on the team with Sylvia for 2 years during my time at Centenary. Sylvia was an amazing person and had a profound positive impact on each and every person that she came into contact with. She was a motivator, hard worker and had a never give up mentality. There are many amazing things about her, but one of my favorites was her ability to make that never give up mentality infectious to everyone around her on the team and then post-graduation in her CrossFit community. She helped people believe in themselves and achieve things for themselves they didn’t think were possible. After I finished sharing about Sylvia, some of the team spoke about what Sylvia means to them and why it’s important to us that we remember her. Claire shared something that really struck me. It was about how the more she learned about Sylvia, the more she realized the importance of legacy. Sylvia, someone she has never met, has had an impact on Claire’s life. It really struck me that we all, Each and every one of us has the ability to leave a legacy or an impact.
So, while you are walking today, I want you to think about what kind of legacy you want to leave? How would you want to be remembered? 10 years from now when people reflect back on their time at Centenary, how do you want them to remember you? Do your actions today reflect the type of person you want to be? If yes, then keep at it! If not, then that’s ok because tomorrow is a new day, and you get to choose what kind of impact you want to have on those around you.
Now before we walk, I want everyone to repeat after me:
I will not operate a motor vehicle while impaired because that goes against the legacy I am trying to create.”
Memoirs of Sylvia Keiter
“Sylvia was someone who could just light up a room with just her smile. My favorite memories of her were just our everyday interactions in the gym and around campus. She would be the loudest person cheering for you in the gym, during strength workouts or out on the track running. Hearing her cheer for you would make you feel like the greatest athlete and that you could do anything with her in your corner. And the giant bear hugs she would give made you feel like the most loved human on earth. Sylvia was the most amazing teammate and loyal friend anyone could have ever asked for. Her love for life, her joyful personality, and incredible smile will live on forever.” Megan Z. Keys
"I only met Sylvia a handful of times but let me tell you, Sylvia never met a stranger! It did not matter that Sylvia only knew my name, she was in the corner cheering and screaming for me for my floor routine at a home meet! She was such a bright spirit and loved everyone she met even if it was only a handful of times! The stories I heard about Sylvia at my time at Centenary were so inspirational and made me strive to be a better gymnast, teammate, and person and still do to this day!" Jenny Jackson
"I have so many memories of Sylvia dancing and laughing and being a big goof in the gym at meets. And I remember her so fondly being my coach too and her words of encouragement. I remember her as being someone who could live for herself, and was able to deal with consequences of doing so not worrying sometimes to break a few rules along the way. She could be so in the moment. I remember her seeking tutoring when she needed help and being willing to learn and try again. I have a very good memory of her before bars at a home meet with LSU when the crowd was LOUD and more eyes than ever before were in the Gold Dome, saying that I deserved to be deep in the lineup on bars as a sophomore because I was a "Rock Star" and that she knew I was going to hit my routine and that I didn't need to worry about a single thing in my routine. I'll remember her uplifting attitude and energy. I'll always remember her calling me a rock star and now that felt. It was such a special moment." Allison Scates
"Sylvia was someone who if she was in your corner, she was in your corner 100%. If she decided she was confident in you, she was in, and nothing felt better than that. Whether she was telling you to get after a beam routine after a teammate had fallen, celebrating every tiny victory during a PT session Syl’s confidence in you made you believe in yourself." Elizabeth Sander
"When you think about the kind of person Sylvia was, the words that come to mind are loyal, fun, motivating, life of the party… the list could go on forever. She was truly the best of us. For those of you who didn’t know her, I’d like to give some insight by sharing the letter I wrote to her the day I found out she was no longer with us."
'My Sweet Big Syl, As I sit here trying to come up with all the words I want to say to you, I know if I could just give you a look, that would be all you needed to know exactly what’s on my mind. I’ll start with this, you make me a better person. Your hard work and determination never went unnoticed. From the very beginning you showed me a perfect example of how far a full heart will take you and what it takes to be a leader everybody wants to follow. There was a reason everyone loved you and how lucky I was to be so close to such an amazing person. Your smile never failed to light up a room, and now it will live forever in my heart. Our memories are something I will take with me for the rest of my life. I would give anything to have one more night of Mario Kart, eating hot Cheetos in bed, watching Remember the Titans, or even “studying” for finals on the third floor of Mickle. When we were together, we were never short on laughter, love, or good times. You were the better half of Team Big and I promise to make you proud and carry on that legacy forever. Lastly I want to say thank you. Thank you for everything. Thank you for giving me a kick in the butt when I didn’t want it but needed it. Thank you for always being a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen. Thank you for always making sure I always had a dance partner and for never making me go to the bathroom alone. Thank you for being the glue that held the blue bandits together. Thank you for being the best friend I ever could’ve asked for and more. Getting to be your best friend was truly the best thing to ever happened to me.'
"I love you SO much," Big Kel (Kellie Slater Kolhoff)
"We used to have to only listen to Disney music on Pandora during practices, so we would always hear the same songs over and over again. In particular the one from Tangled and “Let’s Get Down to Business” from Mulan. Any time that song came on, she would grab an invisible stick, and do moves as if she were training to defeat the Huns. It always made me laugh and I can’t hear that song without thinking of her, to this day." Christine (Langston) Brunemane
"Sylvia was truly the kindest soul. I was very young gymnast at championships gymnastics in Paragould, AR when I met Sylvia. She would often come and help us there. She was my role model through my gym career. I remember just laying on the beam waiting for the event to start, she came up behind me and scared me. We laughed and laughed. She motivated me to throw skills I was afraid of doing, like my backhand spring on beam. We made a handshake, every time we saw each other we would do our handshake. She was a beacon of light everywhere she went and will forever be my role model <3" Anonymous
"It’s honestly really hard to choose ONE story to submit. I have so many memories with Syl and some of my favorites probably shouldn’t be shared on this public platform. I’ll share a Mardi Gras story because not only is it fitting for the weekend it’s the last time I ever got to see her. It was the alumni meet weekend in 2018. Sylvia is driving her jeep and all six of us pile in. We had just left the parade our sparkling beads on and decided to go to canes. Sylvia loved Canes and it was always tradition to go to Canes before we head back home because we used to eat it all together every week in college. We took some pictures, ate our 3 finger combos and headed back to Sylvia’s apartment. Up ahead, we see a sober check point, but it wasn’t the sobriety we were worried about it was the four people we had smushed in the back seat, which was the way we always rode around Shreveport for four years. Nothing new. Since there were cops, we decided should someone get down while we renter the check point. Sylvia had other plans and decided to make a last minute MAKE A U TURN right before the stop. So of course, he started following us….. We pull into a neighborhood and he’s still following so we pull into a gas station and acted as if we needed gas. All six of us still thinking this is just an incredible idea. As soon as we pull next to the pump, boom his lights come on. He comes up to the window and begins looking around the car. He asks us where have we been and we tell him. We also throw in that we were all on the Centenary Gymnastics team two years ago (really thinking he would care). He didn’t. He runs everyone’s licenses and they come back fine and we all breathe a sigh of relief. He smiles and tells us to have a good night. Then he pauses and says “One last thing, so who’s gonna take the ticket for four people being in the backseat”. Without a single hesitation, Sylvia speaks up and says “I’ll take it!!” I love this story, because while it was one of the best times, and also the last time we spent with Sylvia and embodies, just who she is as a person. She was fearless (even when it came to Bossier City Police). She didn’t believe in a comfort zone. She was always taking one for the team. She was our rock. I miss her every day and It makes my heart so happy that we get to celebrate her life in this way every year." Casie H
"My favorite memory about Sylvia was just being in her presence. She could change your whole mood and just lift you up. Freshman year we started car concerts in her red mustang. We would just drive around the city of Shreveport blasting our favorite songs, screaming to the top of our lungs! Her fun loving spirit will forever be missed and cherish for life. To know her is to love her! I miss you so much Syl!" Noel Stubbs
"So, one of my favorite memories of Sylvia was Nationals 2016. It was my sophomore year, and I competed all around. On the first day of nationals, there was one moment when I was competing on the beam, and there was one part in my routine where I would point to the crowd. Whenever I did that move, I saw Sylvia in the crowd pointing back at me; you know, it was like a moment where she reminded me to enjoy the moment. At the end of Day 1 at Nationals, I made beam finals. Whenever the third day of nationals (Event Finals) came around, and I competed on the beam, I remember I had a terrible warm-up. My mind was spinning, my anxiety was high, and I had a lot of fear in my chest. When it came time to compete, it felt like time had stopped because all eyes were on me. When that happens, doubt can settle in if you choose to let it. So, yes, I began catastrophizing all the things that could go wrong in my beam routine, but I had the courage to compete anyway. I’m halfway through my beam routine, and everything is going well so far. When I did that move, where I pointed to the crowd again, Sylvia was on the other side, pointing back at me again, and she was in the same spot, too! This time, when she pointed back at me, it impacted me more because it was like she was also reminding me to enjoy the moment I had and trust and believe in my abilities. From there, I ended the beam routine beautifully, and it became the most memorable one.
That moment has impacted the trajectory of my personal and professional life because sometimes, whenever you begin to worry about how the rest of your life is going to turn out, you have the choose to either give in to your fear or use it to your advantage and have the courage to believe in your abilities to do something you never thought you could do.
Even more so, Sylvia also taught me how to be that person in the crowd when I have someone important to me who could doubt themselves. You know, asking yourself, how can I show the people in my life that kind of support when they need it? When Sylvia did that for her teammates, her friends, and her family, she would do it through words of encouragement, a big, warm hug, being a shoulder to cry on, being the loudest teammate at meets, and even being at every single corner for us when we did our floor routines, you name it, she did it. Those are the kinds of support Sylvia always did for the people she loved, and that is something I try to live up to every day.
I cannot thank Sylvia enough for always supporting me and the people she loved dearly and teaching me things I can use today. Even when I look back on other memories and memories from other people, she still teaches me things to this day.
What a legacy she left behind." Anonymous