Johnna DeGrasse, '68 - Gymnastics
Johnna was a member of the original Gar-Field gymnastics team in 1966. After only two years, she won Districts, Regionals and finally the State Championship in the floor exercises. She was the first Gar-Field student to win a Virginia State Championship. Johnna remembers helping develop that first gymnastics team. They had to build their own balance beam and would pack the joints with paper to keep it from wobbling. They had to practice in the cafeteria because the boys’ basketball team practiced in the gymnasium. They had to be careful not to hit the ceiling when they were practicing their beam routines. The girls and their coach learned from experience and did research to improve their understanding and practice of technique and routines. After graduation from Gar-Field High School, she was accepted as a company member of The National Ballet Company, the official ballet company of the United States based in Washington, DC. She started her own school, DeGrasse Dance Studio, and opened the Potomac Ballet Company in 1978 which she continues to run and direct. Johnna was and is an inspiration to generations of athletes and dancers in the Woodbridge area. |