Nanaimo Gymnastics School can claim numerous provincial championships.
The school sent a sizeable contingent of athletes to the Gymnastics B.C. championships in Port Coquitlam earlier this month. Artistic gymnastics were held in conjunction with the trampoline-and-tumbling provincials at a dual gym venue.
“Everyone did excellent,” said Megan Conway, Nanaimo Gymnastics School coach. “We had many top-10 finishes, many near misses on the podium in fourth place, as well. Quite a few medals … it was quite a lot for a small little club. We’re on the right track and we’re doing really well.”
Nanaimo earned four B.C. championships in artisitic gymnastics. In the Level 7 division, Mylah Vanden-Elsen finished first for her floor routine, Karli Boylan was first on the uneven bars and Brianna Rapanos came first on the vault. In the Level 3 boys’ competition, Ethan Bryson placed first on the pommel horse.
Conway said all the strong results from the young gymnasts suggest the club has lots of depth and a bright future.
She said provincial championships bring a different atmosphere for the athletes.
“I think this year in particular, a lot of them, it was their first time and so they really felt like it was something different and special for them, so they were not sure what to anticipate going in,” she said. “We also had a lot of kids move up a level, so they were a little bit more anxious on how they would do this year.”
Some athletes upped the degree of difficulty by competing in both artistic and T and T. Boylan, for example, became a double champion with first-place finishes in both disciplines. Another youngster, Kayla Howell, coped with scheduling conflicts.
“We took her from artistic and we ran her over to the T and T gym, we came back and she’d missed an event, so the judges actually stayed and let her finish her competition after the competition was over,” Conway said.
For results from trampoline and tumbling provincials, please pick up a future issue of the News Bulletin. Results from artistic gymnastics provincials include:
Level 6 - Ella Husband, third, beam, third, floor; Aylan Vincent, second, floor; Elise Green, third, bars.
Level 7 - Mylah Vanden-Elsen, first, floor; Karli Boylan, first, bars, second, all-around; Nicole Larson, third, vault, third, floor; Brianna Rapanos, first, vault; Rachel Zuccaro, second, floor.
Level 2 boys - Gage Reilly, third, vault.
Level 3 boys - Ethan Bryson, third, floor, first, pommel horse, second, rings, second, vault, second, parallel bars, third, high bar, third, all-around.
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