Amanda Fuglaar stood gracefully on the balance beam inside GymSouth Friday while a capacity crowd watched her perform in the bleachers close by. While Fuglaar methodically went through her routine on the beam, curtains dripping in Mardi Gras purple, gold and green set the backdrop inside a place that looked decorated more like a ball than a gym meet.

The 14-year-old Warren Central High School student finished to a smattering of applause and waited for her results, which ended up being worth the wait.

Fuglaar finished first on the beam, third on vault and fourth on the bars to earn a second place overall medal in her session in the Silver category.

“It was cool. It was fun,” she said. “This is my second time doing this meet and it was a lot of fun.”

The state beam champion was the only Vicksburg resident competing Friday, but there are plenty more who will take center stage this weekend at GymSouth for the gym’s sixth annual Mardi Gras Classic.

Friday marked the beginning of one of the largest gymnastics meets in Mississippi, with more than 400 girls in experience levels ranging from novice to advanced going up against one another in four categories: beam, vault, bars and floor.

“It’s a fun meet. The kids really enjoy it. It’s Mardi Gras themed so they do a parade and throw beads out,” meet director Mandi Stevens said. “They’re real excited and they think that that’s fun. It’s not something they do at any other meet, so it’s something that stands out and is different.”

Stevens moved from Vicksburg to Arkansas three years ago to open Pinnacle Gymnastics, but still makes the trip back home once a year to organize and help put on the meet.

“It’s good just to see our old friends in the gym and just see how it’s grown over the years,” Stevens said.

After an opening ceremonies filled with Mardi Gras music, dancing and, of course, bead throwing, the gymnasts settled in for day one of the event.

“It definitely adds to it,” GymSouth owner Cherry Robbins said of the atmosphere surrounding the Mardi Gras Classic. “We have parents and friends and family that come in our gym the night before and help us decorate. Of course with Mardi Gras, the more you do, the tackier the better. We really try and do it up as far as our decorations.”

The festive décor will set the mood for a weekend of competition and fellowship with gymnasts from across Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas. Around 40-50 girls compete in any given session with four sessions planned Saturday and three Sunday.

“It is a very busy time. It’s awesome,” Robbins said. “Everything has run very, very smoothly. I couldn’t ask for it to be any better. We have great weather, so that’s always a plus.”

Robbins, who oversees the entire Mardi Gras Classic, said thing have gone on without a hitch and she looks to continue what has become a wildly popular tradition for many gymnasts across the southeast. The competition starts again Saturday at 11:30 a.m with Level 2 and ends with Levels 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 beginning at 4:55 p.m. Admission to the meet is $5 per person and free for children under three.

“Every session is equally as energetic because you have a whole new group of families coming in, so it’s the same level of energy for each session, which is good,” Robbins said. “The whole weekend is just full of energy.”