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Local gymnasts sign Letters of Intent to national powers

Date: 11/21/2014

AGAWAM – Three members of the boys’ competitive gymnastics team at Daggett Gymnastics signed National Letters of Intent to accept athletic scholarships with renowned colleges during a ceremony at the Agawam gym Nov. 12.

Peter Daggett of East Longmeadow signed his National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Oklahoma. With this action, Daggett accepted a full athletic scholarship to a preeminent powerhouse of men’s gymnastics in the Sooners. Peter, who is a Level 10 gymnast, has been a member the USA Gymnastics National Team and is presently ranked 13th in the nation for his competitive level.

His chosen school is a virtual who’s who in men’s gymnastics producing World and Olympic Medalists including Jonathon Horton and Jake Dalton.

Peter called signing with Oklahoma “a dream come true.”

During the same ceremony, Shaun Herzog of Manchester, CT, signed his National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Minnesota. In doing so, Shaun accepted an athletic scholarship to a Big Ten leader, the Golden Gophers. Minnesota greats include John Roethlisberger, a three-time Olympian and four-time National All Around Champion.

Herzog is currently ranked 23rd in the country, also as a Level 10 gymnast, and as a member of the Daggett competitive boys gymnastics team, has been a state and regional champion many times over.

Herzog said, “I couldn’t be more excited to begin the next phase of my gymnastics career and join two other Daggett Gymnastics standouts, [alumni] Daniel DiBenedetto and Luke Aldrich, in Minnesota”.

The third member of this elite team, Eric Klein of West Brookfield, signed a commitment letter to the Air Force Academy. The Air Force Academy has emerged as a gymnastics force to be reckoned with the hiring of 1996 Olympian Kip Simmons as head coach. Klein is ranked 27th in the nation as a Level 10 gymnast, and is a USA Gymnastics national champion on vault.

Beyond gymnastics, Klein is very involved in his community and is the public relations officer for his school’s National Honor Society.

“I’ve always loved the Academies and the Air Force Academy is an amazing opportunity and it will set me up for great experiences for the rest of my life,” Klein said.

During their training at Daggett Gymnastics, all three young men have been coached in part by the gym’s owner, Tim Daggett, an Olympic Champion and a member of the USA Olympic Hall of Fame. Daggett is best know now as the “voice of gymnastics” for NBC Sports, covering the last six Olympic Games, and will be commentating in Rio in 2016.

During the past 25 years of helping area boys and girls discover the power behind the practice of gymnastics, Daggett Gymnastics has produced numerous State, Regional, and National Gymnastics Champions. Dozens of its male and female gymnasts have earned full athletic scholarships to universities all across America.

For additional information about the members of the competitive gymnastics team, or the recreational classes at Daggett Gymnastics, call 786-4686 or visit the gym’s website at  www.DaggettGymnastics.com.