Whistler tumblers net two all-around gold medals
The Whistler Gymnastics Club came out flying in its first meet of the year, a floor and bars contest in Vancouver on Feb. 9.
The Whistler girls faced some tough regional competition from five other clubs in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, and came away with their share of the hardware. Two girls, Julia Murray and Tegan Turcotte, were solid in both events and came away with all-around gold medals.
Coaches, Catou Crookshank, Myriam Benn, Kerry McArthur, Karin Jarrett and Tami Ross have worked with the Kids in Progress (KIPs) and Provincial Level 1 programs this year, and were extremely proud of their young athletes.
All of the KIPs were awarded medals based on the impression of the judges, while the provincial gymnasts receive scores for their routines.
For the KIPs, Rebecca Flynn led the team with a gold on bars and a gold on the floor. Desirae Smith won bronze on the bars, and gold on the floor. Alexandra Arcalean won two silvers, Kate Benjamin, Jasmin Budge, Lenka Prochasko and Shannon MacDonald won bronze on bars and silver on the floor, and Emily Cankovic won two bronzes.
In the Zone Tyro category for 11-year-olds, Nicola Haliwell placed first on bars and ninth on the floor to finish third all-around. Olivia Murray was fourth all-around with a bronze on the bars and an eight-place finish on the floor. Hilary Carrell was fifth all-around, fourth on bars and tied for eighth on floor. Natasha Dudley was 10th on bars and seventh on the floor to finish 11 th all-around.
In the Open Category for girls 13 and up, Julia Murray was first on the bars and first on the floor to win the all-around gold.
In the Provincial Level 1 Argo category for 10-year-olds, Ashlen Coombs and Sonya D’Artois were fifth and sixth all-around. Coombs was third on the bars and fourth on the floor, while D’Artois won silver on bars and was fifth on the floor.
In the Provincial Level 1 Tyro category for 11-year-olds, Angelina Manuel was fifth on bars and second on the floor to finish fourth all-around. Riley McSkimming was eighth on the bars and fourth on floors to finish sixth, and Annik Tetreault was sixth on bars and sixth on the floor to finish seventh.
In the Novice category for 12-year-olds, the Whistler club swept the all-around podium. Tegan Turcotte won gold on bars and was fourth on the floor to win the all-around gold, Michaela D’Artois won bronze on the bars and silver on the floor to win the all-around silver, and Holly Hetherington was fourth on bars and won gold on the floor to earn the bronze.
Friends and families of the gymnasts will be able to catch the team in action next month. Whistler Gymnastics is hosting its first gymnastics meet on March 8 and 9 at Whistler Secondary, called the High On Gymnastics Zone 5 Beam, Vault and Tramp Meet.
