THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2021 Page 7 The Artistic Gymnast By Th e Old Sachem, Bill Stewart T his week I will write about a sport I never played or studied. The sport is Artistic Gymnastics. In the 40s and 50s of my youth, without smartphones and the apps to fill your hours, very little television to absorb you interests, you placated yourself by playing games outdoors that you saw and tried. Football, baseball, basketball and hockey were our modus operandi as to playing games in season, sometimes just in our neighborhood, the town or the area. I even got interested in soccer when my two oldest sons became captains of the Saugus High team. I want to interest you in the sport of Artistic Gymnastics, which you will be seeing in the period ahead as the OlymVOTE | FROM PAGE 6 impressed the current board enough to secure a three-year extension. He’s persevered during the challenging times of COVID-19. He’s also been a part of some major accomplishments in municipal government over the past fi ve years. Up until several months ago, former Town Manager Andrew Bisignani (2003-2012) had served the longest of any town manager – about nine years. Crabtree has surpassed Bisignani. Besides Bisignani, there were 17 other regular town managers who were in offi ce less time than Crabtree has served. Their service ranged from a year to fi ve years; many of them for just half that period, which earned Saugus the reputation of being “the graveyard for town managers.” “Thank you for the feedback” At Wednesday night’s meeting, Crabtree expressed gratitude to selectmen for placing their confi dence in him. “It’s an honor. It is a tough job, and I’d be lying to say it’s not,” Crabtree said. “I’ve been through a lot. The town has been through a lot and others have been through a lot. I appreciate the support and I’m going to continue to work as hard as I can. I love the job. I love the community. And I appreciate it and thank you for the feedback,” he said. Crabtree acknowledged that he’s learned on the job to be more open-minded when it comes to receiving feedback from elected and appointed pics get underway. From what I see now and remember from prior Olympics, the participants spend a lot of time on bars and on a mat doing calisthenics and jumping about. It is usually performed by small people because larger people have size and weight to make the performance very difficult. But I do remember Olympics of an earlier era when the great Russian team had an older, larger girl performing at a very high-performance level. Quality of performance has improved yearly since the 90s when the Russians excelled. Today the women of Team USA are ranked as among the best in the world. And that brings us to the gargantuan abilities of little Simone Biles. Simone was born on March 14, 1997, in Columbus, Ohio, and today resides in Spring, Texas. She stands at four feet eight inchoffi cials, as well as citizens. “If there’s anything I’ve learned over the years, it’s trying to do that and trying to continue to be open-minded, to be able to try to fi lter and identify what the wants and needs are of elected and appointed offi - cials as well as the public and be able to put a plan together that can be supported and then actually executed and completed in success,” Crabtree said. “I think if you look at the history of Saugus, that’s always been the challenge – of actually completing something and doing something – I’d like to continue to do that.” Crabtree is a fourth-generation Saugus resident. He and es, every bit as the best in the world. She has performed for the USA national team since 2013. Her birth mother was unable to care for Simone or her three other siblings, so her grandfather Ron Biles was temporary custodian of the children and adopted Simone and her sister Adria. Biles holds Belizean citizenship through her adoptive mother, Nellie Cayetano Biles, Ron’s second wife. The family is Catholic. Simone was introduced to the sport of gymnastics at six years old as part of a day-care field trip when the instructors saw she had ability. She was enrolled in a training program at Bannon’s Gymnastics in Spring, Texas, and started training with Aimee Boorman at eight years old. She began her career at 14 on July 1, 2011, at the American Classic in Houston, where she GYMNAST | SEE PAGE 8 his wife, Christina, have three young children. He is a Saugus High School graduate from the class of 1988. Previously, he served as chairman of the Saugus Board of Selectmen and was a town police officer for more than a decade. Crabtree holds a Bachelor of Science degree in management with a concentration in accounting from Boston University and a juris doctor from New England School of Law. He clerked for a Superior Court judge and worked as an accountant for a Boston law fi rm before starting his own Saugus law practice. He has been a member of the Massachusetts Bar since December of 2004. AUTOTECH 1989 SINCE Is your vehicle ready for the Summer Season?!! Recharge your vehicle's AC for the warm weather! Includes up to 1 LB. of Refrigerant* (*Most Vehicles/Some Restrictions May Apply) AC SPECIAL Only $69.95 DRIVE IT - PUSH IT - TOW IT! CASH FOR YOUR CAR, TRUCK OR SUV! 2012 HONDA PILOT EXL 2011 FORD FESTIVA Loaded, One Owner, Sunroof, Back-up Camera, Warranty, Only 101K Miles! TRADES WELCOME! $15,900 Financing Available! Only 105K Miles, Clean Title, Save Money on Gas! Great Commuter Car! TRADES WELCOME! $5,995 (781) 321-8841 • (617) 571-9869 Easy 1236 EasternAve • Malden EddiesAutotech.com Vehicle! We Pay Cash For Your
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