Nelson’s Glacier Gymnastics Club hosted the 2015 Kootenay zone gymnastics and trampoline championships this month.
Two hundred and thirty gymnasts from Nelson, Trail, Castlegar, Creston, Cranbrook, Kimberley, Penticton and Golden competed for all around and event titles in the girls competitive gymnastics junior Olympic levels, trampoline levels 1-3, performance plus gymnastics and trampoline categories and the high school girls category.
BC provincial champions Brianne Stefani, 10, Olivia Kelly 13, and Abby Majeski, 9, lead the Glacier team in medal count in the junior Olympic categories.
Stefani claimed the all-around silver medal and another two gold, and one bronze for events in the junior Olympic level 7 category, competing against gymnasts four to six years older than her.
Kelly repeated her provincials performance in the junior Olympic level 6, 13 and up category, winning silver all around and a medal on each event, two silver, a gold and a bronze. Majeski also walked away with five medals in the junior Olympic Level 6, 9-10 years category, silver all around and two gold, a silver and bronze for events.
Other Glacier gymnasts winning junior Olympic event medals: Dafni van Hellemond (10-11 years), silver on junior Olympic Level 6 vault; Maika Houde (13 and up), bronze on junior Olympic Level 6 beam; Sarah Tolles (all ages), two silvers junior Olympic Level 7, vault and beam; Kylee Dyck (all ages), silver on junior Olympic Level 8 bars.
Head coach Sandra Long was very pleased with the girls’ results. “All the girls are finishing off the season with very strong routine performances,” said Long. “It is a strong indicator of success for next season as some of the girls will be trying out for the BC Winter Games team.”
The Glacier junior Olympic Level 6-8 team earned the second place team award coming in behind the Key City Gymnastics Team from Cranbrook.
“Cranbrook has an older, more experienced team,” said Long. “But our young girls are polished with excellent technique and held their own, missing out on first place by only three tenths of a point.”
Long says the girls are hard-working, confident and consequently raising the level of gymnastics performed at the Nelson club. “The up-and-coming beginner competitive Glacier team looks to these girls for inspiration and role modelling and the effect was obvious in the results of the new competitors on the weekend.”
The beginner competitors of Glacier Gymnastics won three out of the four all around titles in the Zone 1 competitive (juvenile Olympic Pre-Level 6) category. “Our new competitors really cleaned up in this category,” said Long. “Many of these girls will be moving into the higher competitive levels next season.”
In the 8-9 year age group, Olivia Bezaire won the gold all around and a silver and bronze medal on events. Shelbi van Hellemond took the silver all around and a gold and silver medal on events. Eden Bellman won gold on floor. Neve Hamilton claimed bronze on vault.
In the 10 year age group, Alexa Anast won the gold all around and two gold and a silver medal on events. Raven Sperling won silver all around and a gold and two silver event medals. Tehya Colbeck claimed the all around bronze and one gold and two silver event medals. Kate May took home a gold, silver and bronze medals on events. Chloe Diote won two bronze event medals.
In the 11 year age group, Ashlynn D’Alessandris won five medals, silver all around, two gold and two bronze event medals. Suki Simington claimed two event medals, one gold, one silver.
In the 12 year age group, Lily Taylor won gold all around, gold on three events and one event silver. Amanda Schacher was silver all around, and also won two silver and one gold event medal. Elisa Clark was the bronze all around winner, and won silver on beam. Mercedes Majeski took home a bronze event medal.
The Glacier coaching team is delighted with the performances of the new competitors. The Zone 1 (junior Olympic pre-Level 6) Glacier team won the first place team award by a landslide. “Their dedicated training has paid off for them,” says Long.
The Glacier high school girls team also won the first place team award.
In the high school Level 1 category, Taila Lancaster won gold all around and two gold and one silver event medal. Peyton Whitaker claimed the silver all around and one silver and two bronze event medals. Erika Bennet won a gold and a bronze event medal. Allysa Penner also won two event medals, one silver and a bronze.
Megan Poetsch cleaned up in the high school Level 2 category, winning the gold all around and two gold, a silver and bronze event medals.
Nelson’s trampoline gymnasts all won medals on each discipline, testing out new skills for the upcoming BC trampoline provincials in Port Moody May 15 to 17.
In the double-mini event, Matthew Bullen won gold in the boys event and Chris Lawrence-Jeffery was close behind winning the silver medal. Zoe Crisfield won gold in the girls double-mini category.
In the boys trampoline event, Lawrence-Jeffery claimed the gold medal and Bullen won the bronze medal. Zoe Crisfield won the bronze medal in the girls event.
Other personal accomplishments of the Glacier team occurred in the Perfomance Plus category.
Glacier Gymnasts earning all around gold in the gymnastics Performance Plus category: Erica Potkins, Nyah Hedstrom, Ella Taylor, Simone Hildebrand, Sarah Roberstson, Fiona Burkholder, Ally Nicholson, Elsa Sollid, Aida Hedstrom, Macy Weston, Aurora Dool, Ava Anast, Abby Ens. Earning an all around silver: Amelia Finley, Bella Grill. Earning an all around Bronze: Neeva Marechal.
Glacier trampoline Perfomance Plus accomplishments: double mini trampoline gold: Cam Bibby-Fox and Benji Westergreen. Trampoline gold: Bibby-Fox. Silver: Westergreen.