A two-time national champion who competed all over the planet, Jessica Krushen wants more from rhythmic gymnastics.
The 2007 Kalamalka Secondary grad is making a comeback with Camille Martens’ Okanagan club, where she has been coaching.
“Since I finished training, I never found anything that I felt as passionate doing as I did about gymnastics,” said Krushen. “I came back to the gym to coach this year and was reminded of just how much I love it here.”
In November, she played the staring role of the adult Anastasia in the Vernon production and getting ready for the show reminded her of how much she missed practising.
Since high school, Krushen has tried a variety of different jobs from landscaping, working in retail, cosmetics, electronics, photography and a computerized warehouse facility. She also spent two years at Okanagan College focusing on English and psychology courses.
“For now, I don’t want to put any pressure on myself to come to a certain place because in the end my score is up to the judges and out of my control. My goal is to prepare the best that I can and to be proud of the routines I compete. I am not doing this for results, I am doing this because I truly love the sport and I thrive in a high-performance atmosphere.”
Krushen won the national Novice championship in 2000 and the Canadian title in 2003.
She medalled at the Junior Pan American Games, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and was a finalist in the Olympic Hopes competition in Varna, Bulgaria. Krushen won five medals in the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Bathurst, N.B. and was honoured with the B.C. Premier’s Athletic Award.
The highlights, however, have been more on a personal side.
“The friends I have made and the many training and competition experiences that I had are irreplaceable. Traveling, competing, excellence, expression, shining…”
Krushen isn’t totally sure why she quit the sport which took up so much of her teenage life.
“On my last year (2006) of competing I was spiraling downward. I wasn’t on top of my game mentally or physically. I can look back now and see that it was the right choice to stop then because there was no point in my continuing in that state. But when I quit, I never really felt like I was done.”
Martens (Canadian Olympian and national team coach since 2000) is energized by Krushen’s return.
“She is a beautiful example to all our girls both as an athlete and as a person,” said Martens. “She is courageous, focused and full of love. I fully support her.”
Krushen was climbing on furniture when she first learned to walk, showing early signs of being a gymnast.
“When I was little, my mom described me as a daredevil child. When I was two, I was climbing up every tree in our yard so initially I was put into the local artistic gymnastics club as a safety measure so I could learn to fall safely if I did. Camille, who had just come back from the ‘96 Olympics in Atlanta, had come to the club to do a workshop with everyone. We met there and the rest was history.”
