West Orange resident competes as part of the Jamaican team

Alana Walker is a West Orange resident who trains in Boonton (Photo Courtesy of Gabe Rhodes).

WEST  ORANGE, NJ— West Orange’s Alana Walker, 17, recently competed as part of the Jamaican women’s national gymnastics team at the 2024 Senior Pan American Artistic Championships in Santa Marta, Colombia, and was among the top 24 gymnasts to qualify for the all-around finals.

The 2024 Stanford women’s gymnastics team commit scored an all-around of 46.367, finishing 15th in the all-around for the Caribbean island country, where her family hails.

Walker trains out of Boonton-based North Stars Gymnastics Academy and is a Women’s Development Program gymnast.

North Stars Gymnastics Academy has been a powerhouse national training center in Morris County for more than 50 years with its female athletes earning placements and awards at the state, regional, national and international levels. It boasts medalists in USA Championships, Goodwill Games, Pan American Games, Pacific Alliance Championships and competitions in France, South Korea, England, Russia, Bulgaria, Colombia, U.S. Olympic Trials and more. North Stars prides itself on its ability to train athletes to build the necessary skills to secure athletic and academic college scholarships.