It’s been a busy and successful spring for local gymnasts from North Valley Gymnastics.
Recently the JO (Junior Olympics) 6 and 7 athletes travelled to Port Coquitlam to compete in the TAG Cup competition, which included more than 500 athletes from 15 clubs.
Brooklyn Ashby and Aysia Morgan competed in the JO 7 Junior category, and Autumn Doucette competed in the JO 7 Senior category.
Ashby was golden on floor and vault (tie), added an eighth in the all around and was ninth on bars. Morgan placed second (tie) on floor and fifth on vault.
“Brook and Aysia competed their best floor routines so far this year,” said North Valley competitive coach Naomi Rokus. “I was so excited for the girls – it’s great to see them shine on an event that is hard to train at home on our restricted floor – which is about two-thirds the size of a regulation floor.
“I even had the judges (who are national level trained) seek me out after the competition to tell me how impressed they were with their floor routines. What a wonderful comment.”
Doucette also had a fantastic floor routine, which earned her the silver medal. She also placed fifth in both all around and bars.
“Autumn had a great competition. It’s so nice to see her gaining confidence and showing off her grace and power,” said Rokus.
Six athletes competed in the highly competitive JO 6 category.
Raedon Shanes, Charli Calvert and Tyra Green competed in J0 6 Junior.
Shanes and Calvert placed eighth and ninth respectively in the all around. Shanes also placed fourth on bars and fifth on vault. Green placed sixth on vault and eighth on beam.
Emma Doucette, Julia Kalin and Amy Sol competed in JO 6 Senior.
Emma had a fantastic competition, earning the silver medal in the all around, second on both bars and floor, third on vault, and fourth on beam. She was also awarded the Best Floor Routine trophy for her fun dance and powerful tumbling.
This was the first competition outside the Okanagan for Kalin and Sol, and they had a great showing. Kalin finished sixth on beam, seventh on bars and eighth on vault. Sol placed sixth on vault.
“We received so many compliments on how happy the girls were and how well they get along and cheer for each other,” said Rokus. “That team unity really helps the girls stay calm while they compete, and the results speak to that. Not to mention a boat load of hard work.”
Two weeks earlier, 14 athletes travelled to the Kamloops Invitational where they put on another strong showing.
Veronika Yacovelli was golden in the all around and the bars in the JO 4 Senior category. She also earned a bronze on floor, and rounded out her events with a fifth on both beam and vault (tie).
“These were awesome results for Veronika. She has worked so hard to improve her bar routine – and she did her best one at this competition. Perfect timing,” said Rokus.
Also competing in JO4 Seniorr was Carys Reed, who placed 10th all around, with her best event being fourth on bars. Emelia Bolin competed for the first time in the JO 4 Junior category, earning a fourth (tie) all around, with her best result being fourth on bars.
In JO6 Senior, Emma Doucette placed fourth all around, and earned a bronze on bars.
Other highlights were Amy Sol placing seventh (tie) on bars; Julia Kalin placing ninth on both beam and floor (tie); Jenna Cotter placing eighth on bars; and Emma Eggert placing ninth on bars.
Tyra Green placed fifth all around in the JO6 Junior category, with her best event fourth on beam. Raedon Shanes placed fifth on beam. And Charlie Calvert placed eighth (tie) on beam.
In the JO7 Senior, Autumn Doucette placed fifth all around, and earned a bronze with her floor routine. Ashby competed in JO7 Junior, placing sixth all round, with her best result a fourth (tie) on vault. Morgan finished eighth all around, with best events being fourth (ties) on both vault and beam.
“The girls all had a pretty good competition. There were a few ups and downs, but they were all very happy and positive,” said Rokus.
“This competition was the trials for the B.C. Gymnastics Championships, so there was some added pressure. I’m happy to say that all NVGS athletes will be heading to the B.C. Championships.”
One weekend prior, at the Abbotsford Twisters Invitational, Ashby earned eighth all around, with best events being first on vault and fourth on floor. And Morgan earned ninth all around, with best events third on floor and fourth on vault.
The next competition for the gymnasts will be the B.C. Gymnastics Championships, April 15-17 in Langley, hosted by Gymnastics British Columbia (GBC).
