Ten members of the Cariboo Chilcotin Gymnastics Association’s competitive team bounced into Kamloops May 7 for the KATTS Invitational meet.
The CCGA team, competing against gymnasts from throughout the Okanagan, fared well and carted home a hefty medal haul.
“It was a good meet,” said CCGA coach Mike Stinson. “This is one of the ones the kids pick out. They all like it.”
Stinson said the team has displayed much improvement throughout the season, and it showed during the KATTS meet.
“They’ve come a long way since I started here at the beginning of the year,” he said.
In men’s artistic gymnastics three lakecity competitors earned top-five finishes.
Mason Wong picked up the bronze medal after finishing first on floor, fourth on pommel horse, third on rings, second on vault, first on parallel bars and second on horizontal bars in level three men’s artistic gymnastics.
Right behind him was teammate Andrew Bettles in fourth place. Bettles took second on pommel horse, third on parallel bars and fourth in floor, rings, vault and horizontal bar.
In level two men’s artistic gymnastics Joseph Brinoni landed a gold medal on vault, a silver medal on parallel bars and bronze medals on floor, pommel horse, rings and horizontal bars for a bronze all-around result.
Meanwhile, in the ladies’ divisions, provincial two open gymnast Ellen Kaufman vaulted to a silver medal. Kaufman sprung to first-place finishes in vault and floor, while also taking second in bars and third on beam.
Jaymie Grove, competing in the provincial two argo division, finished seventh, landing a solid fourth-place finish on bars and a fifth-place score on beam.
Michaela Newberry, in the provincial one tyro division, finished sixth with her best result coming as a bronze medal on bars.
First year competitive team member Samantha McKee, in the provincial one tyro division, won the overall bronze medal with a second-place in vault, and a third-place on floor.
Provincial two tyro gymnast Alyssa Cheverie finished seventh on bars, beam and floor, while Sophia Wong tied for ninth overall, battling through an injury to finish the meet.
In the provincial two novice division Ashley Palesch landed fifth, taking third on vault, and fifth-place results on bars, beam and floor.
Coming up next for the CCGA is its last competitive meet of the season from June 3-5 in Kelowna.
