Eleven members of the Williams Lake Gymnastics Club sprung away from the Quesnel Gold Pan Invitational and Zone 8 Trials Feb. 9-10 with some of their best results at the meet, ever.
“This was two meets in one,” said WLGC coach Mike Stinson. “If you were level two or higher you got the opportunity to qualify for the provincial meet.”
The WLGC’s Mason Wong, Andrew Bettles and Joseph Brinoni each piled up multiple first-, second- and third-place finishes at the meet, punching their tickets to provincials. Wong picked up first overall, Bettles nabbed second overall and Brinoni placed third overall at the meet.
Meanwhile, in the provincial two novice category, Samantha McKee and Michaela Newberry picked up second- and fourth-place all around finishes. McKee’s best came on bars with a 13-point routine, followed by a silver medal in floor. Newberry picked up a bronze medal in floor. Both McKee and Newberry will join Wong, Bettles and Brinoni on the zone team at provincial championships April 5-7 in Prince George.
Gabrielle Garcia, 8, and Thea Lutters, 9, who competed in the provincial one argo category, put forth some impressive results, Stinson added.
“We had four gymnasts who had never competed before, and they did really well,” Stinson said. “That was one of the highlights. It’s extraordinary how far their abilities have come since the beginning of the season.”
Thea sprung to a gold-medal in vault, along with bronze-medal routines in bars and floor to finish fifth overall. Garcia’s best result came on floor, in seventh.
In provincial one tyro Chloe Lutters won silver medals in both bars and floor. Teammates Jordana Wintjes, Alyssia Suderman and Ashia Chutskoff — all in their first competition — also showed excellent composure and promise, Stinson said.
“All in all it was a good meet,” he said. “We learned some things and we’ll continue from here.”
Coming up March 8-10 the club heads to Langley for a meet.
