Submitted
Glacier Gymnastics won four first-place team awards at the Kootenay Zone Gymnastics and Trampoline Championships this past weekend in Nelson. Two hundred and eighty gymnasts participated in the event vying for individual all-around, event and team titles.
Competing against teams from Trail, Castlegar, Creston, Cranbrook, Kimberley, Canmore, Invermere, Penticton and Golden, Nelson won team firsts in the Junior Olympic Competitive Level 6, Level 7-8 categories, as well as the Zone 1 Pre-Level 6 and high school categories.
“This is a great end to a successful season for our Junior Olympic competitors,” said Glacier Gymnastics head coach Sandra Long, who added most competitors included new skills or moved up a level for this competition. “With all the routine changes, the girls still looked polished and performed well.”
Glacier Gymnastics’ recent provincial championships Junior Olympic gymnasts continued their winning streak in the Level 6, 7 and 8 categories, winning 36 medals at the Kootenay Zone Championships.
Medal highlights in the Level 6, 9-11 years category included:
Shelbi van Hellemond claimed the all around gold medal, just ahead of teammates Livia Richardson who won the silver medal and Rayne Jean took the bronze, while Macy Loutit won the gold medal on floor in her first Level 6 competition. In the Level 6, 12 and up category, Teagan McTague captured the all-around gold medal with Elsa Sollid winning the silver, and Elisa Clark taking the gold on floor, followed by Brynn McTague with the bronze.
In the Level 7 all-ages category, Eden Bellman won the gold on floor and bronze all around and on beam. Level 8 all ages saw two Glacier athletes reach the all-around podium, with Brianne Stefani claiming the gold medal and Dafni van Hellemond right behind her winning the silver.
The 12 Glacier gymnasts competing in the Zone 1 Pre-Level 6 category earned a total of 24 Zone Championship medals.
In the eight-to-10 year age group, Glacier took the top-two all-around podium position with Jersey Skolka taking the gold medal and Molly Anderson winning the silver.
Anni van Hellemond, won the gold medal in both the vault and floor events, Emerson Mandseth took gold on the bars, Marin Smienk won gold on vault and Maya Smith captured bronze on beam. In the 11-and-up age group, Glacier cleaned up on the all-around podium, with Georgia Shuel winning gold followed by teammates Maite Troutet with silver and Kallie Bardry with the bronze. Paityn Lake secured a gold medal on the floor event.
The Glacier coaching team is delighted with the performances of the team’s junior competitors.
“Their dedicated training has paid off for them,” says Long. “If our new competitors continue their progress we will see a bigger and more successful team attending B.C. championships next season.”
The Glacier high school girls 16-member team meanwhile claimed 38 medals.
In the Junior High School Level 1 category, Lucca Dehnel won all-around silver. In the Level 2 category, Glacier once again swept the all-around podium, with Shekinah Parks taking the gold, Maggie Silverson the silver and Josie Cowan the bronze. Zeva Rushforth took the silver on vault followed by Taya Wastl with the bronze.
Ella Dulmage won bronze all-around in the Level 2 catagory, Fawn Herzig won gold on bars and Emma Lake captured the silver on vault. Lumay Plautz won gold all around in the Level 3 category followed by Tia Berens who claimed the silver, and Sara Tolles won the gold all-around in Level 4.
In the trampoline discipline, Jace Reid, Joshua Imeda, Anni van Hellemond and Paityn Lake all won all-around gold in their respective age group categories.
