Williams Lake Gymnastics Club members made the trek south to test their skills against competition from the Okanagan recently at the Kamloops Gymnastics and Trampoline Club Invitational.
Held March 15-17, 25 gymnastics and their coaches, Michaela Newberry and Raeanna Brown, from the lakecity competed in levels ranging from Junior Olympic 1-4, and JO6.
“The competition was tough but we came in with such great attitudes and they really prevailed,” Brown said. “They were so good.”
In JO1 Lara Hobi, Eloise Hobi, Milah Sellars, Jerrica Cater Zimmerlee, Bailee Ann Campbell, Brooklinn Kozenko, Khloe Robbins and Tenley Glanville all achieved multiple gold, silver and bronze-level awards in their events: bars, vault, floor and beam.
READ MORE: Gymnasts spring into competitive season with largest team yet
In the JO2 category, in a pool of 16 gymnasts, River Frost, Cali MacKinnon, Nadia Wallin, Ariana Dyck, Raquel Tomelin, Harmony Glanville, Chloe Boucher and Ava Johnson also all had multiple gold, silver and bronze showings in their respective events.
In the JO3-JO6 categories, gymnasts are scored by judges, where Isabelle McMath, Haedyn Lens and Sky Johnson competed.
McMath picked up her best score on vault, where she finished with a 9.3 out of 10 — good for third place. Lens was fifth on bars (8.375) and Sky was third on vault (9.3).
JO4 gymnasts Laura Strang, Mackenzi Johnson and Ella McDonald, meanwhile, each picked up some top-three finishes in their events.
Strang finished third overall with fifth on vault (8.325), fifth on bars (7.35), first on beam (8.725) and third on floor (8.2). Johnson was fourth overall with a second on vault (8.85), second on bars (8.4), seventh on beam (6.975) and fifth on floor (7.6). McDonald placed sixth overall with an eighth on vault (7.3), third on bars (7.925), third on beam (8.325) and sixth on floor (7.3).
And in the competitive JO6 category Kalli Campbell, Nya Chutskoff and Allysia Irawan represented the WLGC.
Campbell finished with her best result on vault, placing fourth, with a 9.025 score. Chutskoff’s best result was an eighth-place finish on beam with a score of 7.85. Irawan placed second on beam with an 8.6, and fourth on vault with an 8.775.
Both Newberry, who coaches the JO1 and JO6 gymnasts, and Brown, who coaches the club’s JO2-4 athletes, said they were proud of how they competed.
READ MORE: Gymnasts continue to shine in competitive season
“Ella McDonald stuck her cartwheel on beam for the first time but it looked like she’d been doing it forever. She was so confident,” Brown said.
Newberry noted all the club’s gymnasts have shown steady improvement since the beginning of the season, and were pleased with their routines and performances in Kamloops.
“[Another highlight] at the meet was the JO6 gymnasts competed at the same time as the level nine and 10 gymnasts and got to see some higher-level skills and see what’s possible if they stick to it,” Newberry said.
The club is now preparing for its next meet coming up May 4-5, the Prince George Invitational.
sports@wltribune.com
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