COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland's gymnastics team's 2009 season ended more than a month ago at the National Collegiate Regional Championships, yet accolades continue to mount for the Terrapins.

During the recently-held President's Cup Brunch, the gymnastics squad joined the men's swimming & diving team in garnering honors for outstanding participation in the CHAMPS/Lifeskills Cup program. The award recognizes excellence in five categories - academics, athletics, career development, personal development and community service. Additionally, junior gymnast Margaux Meeks received the ICA Community Service Award for her personal contributions to worthwhile causes.

While the gymnastics program places strong emphasis on each of the aforementioned five categories, the team has developed a reputation for being extremely active in the local community under head coach Bob Nelligan, who is set to retire June 1, associate head coach and head-coach-in-waiting Brett Nelligan and assistant coach Vicki Chliszczyk. Community service endeavors undertaken by the team in recent years have benefitted breast cancer research, encouraged healthy living, aided Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, supported troops overseas and fought childhood obesity, among other efforts.

Most recently, in what have become annual and much-anticipated events, the gymnastics team visited with children from two local elementary schools this spring. First graders from Capitol Hill Day School in Washington, D.C., took a field trip to the team's on-campus practice facility. Soon after that visit, the Terps ventured to Bel Pre Elementary School in nearby Silver Spring, Md.

"Our team really looks forward to interacting with young people and sharing our talents and values with them," Bob Nelligan said. "We pride ourselves on being active in the community but, believe me, we get a kick out of those opportunities too."

Both recent elementary school events saw the Terps play with youngsters and introduce them to the sport of gymnastics through fun, interactive demonstrations of tumbles, flips and leaps. The team set up a gymnastics circuit at its practice facility for the Capitol Hill Day School students, teaching the children proper balance and motion techniques. Still a kid at heart, Bob Nelligan drew laughter from many of the young visitors when he joined them in playing games.

Mary Jane Samwell, a guidance counselor and mother of Maryland gymnastics alumnus Chrissy Samwell, hosted the team at Bel Pre Elementary School for the seventh consecutive spring. There the gymnasts read children's books to the students in their classrooms, promoting the value of education as part of the school's `Read, Respect, Responsibility' campaign.

Following the reading sessions, the students congregated in the gymnasium to partake in an assembly complete with tumbling and audience participation. The Terrapin gymnasts introduced themselves, reiterated the importance of education and, much to the delight of their youthful hosts, performed gymnastics stunts on mats set up in the middle of the gymnasium.

"That is always one of the highlights of our school year, both for our students and our staff," said Samwell, whose daughter was a member of Bob Nelligan's squad at Maryland from 1999 to 2002. "The gymnasts serve as excellent role models for our students, and the entire experience is very uplifting for the children."

And for a collegiate gymnastics team like Maryland devoting countless hours to practice and schoolwork, and welcoming a chance to have fun with young people, the feeling is undeniably mutual.