Local gymnasts fare well in Manitoba

Six youngsters who call the Fort Frances Gymnastics Academy home brought back some pleasant results from the final meet of the season last weekend.
Claire Crichton, 12, finished in seventh place in the Argo division (ages 11-12) at the Wendy’s Invitational gymnastics meet in Winnipeg. She finished with the second-best score in the balance beam event.
Competing in the Midget division (ages 10 and under), teammates Karly Cameron finished in fourth place, Sydney Boustead was sixth, and Jeanna Toninato came seventh.
In the Tyro divison (ages 13-16), Chelsea Green and Cara Yellowega finished 13th and 15th place respectively.
Each division features competition in four categories–vault, floor, balance beam, and the bars.
This was a first-time experience for five of the gymnasts as Cameron attended the event last year. The only Ontario representation there came from Fort Frances and Thunder Bay.
“It was huge,” said Crichton on the meet that attracted more than 200 competitors. “I wasn’t intimidated. I just went in there and did my best.”
Boustead used confidence as a way to break the pressure of the packed Winnipeg Panthes gym club crowd.
“I was a little nervous,” admitted the 10-year old but already a seven-year veteran. “But I just didn’t think about how much better they might be than us. I just wanted to do my own thing.”
Local gymnastics coach Adriana Ota made the trip with the girls and was impressed how well prepared they were.
“They’ve improved a lot since the beginning of the season,” she said. “They trained very hard and gave their best performance.”
For Yellowega, the chance to both socialize and compete with her peers in such a large environment was most exciting.
“It was cool to meet new people,” she noted, but was a little sad not all of her friends from Thunder Bay made the trip.
With no more regional meets scheduled until next fall, Yellowega, Crichton, Cameron, and Boustead are planning to attend a gymnastics camp at the Peace Gardens this summer to hone their skills.