SouthtownStar’s boys gymnastics notes

They weren’t exactly lords of the rings, but there was a good excuse.

Homewood-Flossmoor’s Akeem Beyhuhammad took 13th in the rings event with a 5.6 and teammate Kyle Johnson was 17th with a 4.0 in the Homewood-Flossmoor Spring Classic Friday.

“This was the first time I’ve been on the rings all year,” Johnson said.

Practice started in mid-February, but the Vikings have been without rings due to the makeover of the North gym at the school. Hours before the meet, Vikings coach Peter Kallend had to rent a truck to bring in a free-standing rings setup from Lincoln-Way East. Assembling it caused the meet to be delayed by a half-hour.

“The gym was a huge construction project but the rings were overlooked,” Kallend said. “We’re getting them, it’s just a matter of when. Getting mad won’t solve the problem, but I hope to have them by our next home meet [April 1].”