Powell River gymnasts rack up provincial titles
Team members overcome pandemic challenges to earn accolades Jun 8, 2021 12:37 PM
CLUTCH PERFORMANCES: Powell River gymnasts impressed their coaches by winning several titles during the BC Gymnastics Championships. Contributed photo
COVID-19 did not stop Powell River Gymnastics and Circus Competitive Gymnastics Team athletes from garnering an impressive total of titles during the recent BC Gymnastics Championships competition, which was held virtually due to COVID-19.
Team members continued to adapt to the new way of competing and combined for 12 titles overall, including 25 medals, eight ribbons, three plaques and one trophy in their second virtual competition.
Due to the lack of a live audience, gymnasts made the empty gym lively, giving support and cheering each other on, according to a media release from Powell River Gymnastics executive director Michele Dillon.
“Parents and extended family logged onto via Zoom from their homes to watch and celebrate each performance. Coaches and volunteers helped with logistics to organize the gym; as well as take photos and videos for the competition.”
The release stated that it was a great test for the athletes as the provincial championships were the most important competition of the year, and everyone gave their best effort.
“This is the new generation of local athletes, and they are just starting their gymnast lives. If they continue in this direction, they have great potential to achieve amazing results and actively represent the city of Powell River.”
Coaches and staff value and admire the group of athletes, according to the release.
“The dedication, ability to concentrate and overcome during a challenging season is commendable. There is so much positivity to take from this competition, and these are skills and traits they can use for the rest of their lives.”
Results:
Junior Olympic Level 1 (2010 to 2013): Xiya (Peggy) Liu – first on vault; third on bars; first on beam; second on floor; first all around.
Junior Olympic Level 1 (2014): Cora Pena – first on vault; first on bars; first on beam; first on floor; first all around.
Junior Olympic Level 2 (2013): Kinsley Foster – fourth on vault; ninth on bars; fifth on beam; sixth on floor; fifth all around.
Junior Olympic Level 3 (2010): Melodie Ouellet – 17th on vault; third on bars; 11th on beam; 18th on floor; 14th all around.
Junior Olympic Level 3 (2007 to 2009): Larissa Laing – first on vault; 17th on bars; 16th on beam, 10th on floor; 13th all around.
Junior Olympic Level 4 (2010): Hadley Foster – second on vault; third on bars; first on beam; second on floor; second all around.
Junior Olympic Level 4 (2006 to 2008): Cheyenne Choo – third on vault; third on bars; fifth on beam; first on floor; first all around. Elise English – second on vault; second on bars; eighth on beam; third on floor; third all around.
Junior Olympic Level 4 TEAM: Hadley Foster, Cheyenne Choo, Elise English – Third place as a team.
Powell River gymnasts excel in virtual competition
Athletes qualify for BC championships
Powell River Gymnastics and Circus Competitive Team athletes participated in the Christy Fraser Memorial Invitational virtual competition and finished with outstanding results.
According to a media release from Powell River Gymnastics and Circus Arts, all athletes qualified for the BC championships, which will also be held virtually, at the end of April.
Paulo Pena and Trystinna Bailey, the competitive coaching team, stated that the event gave the athletes a goal and motivation to continue training in a challenging time.
“Like many local sports and activities, we were closed for an extended period of time, and gymnastics requires constant training to excel,” stated Pena. “I was proud of the energy and perseverance demonstrated by the team.”
Leading up to the competition, COVID-19 protocols and a reduction in coach’s spotting had everyone training in a different way. The format of the competition was uncommon, too. Considering competing virtually was new for all involved, the camaraderie ran high with the team cheering and pushing each other on, according to the release. Normally, competitions take place in front of an audience, which buoys the athletes up. Friends and family were not permitted to watch in person this time, due to COVID safety rules. Instead, families logged on via Zoom. Despite everything, the team performed extremely well, and everyone had a great time, according to the release.
The competition, sponsored by the Langley Gymnastics Foundation, included athletes from all over BC.
Competition results
Boys provincial level one: Digory Van Tol – silver on floor; silver on pommel horse; silver on rings; gold on vault; silver on parallel bars; silver on high bar; gold all-around.
Girls junior Olympic level one: Cora Pena – silver on vault; silver on bars; silver on beam; gold on floor; silver all-around. Xiya Liu – gold on vault; gold on bars; gold on beam; gold on floor; gold all-around.
Girls junior Olympic level two: Kinsley Foster – second on vault; fifth on bars; first on beam; third on floor; second all-around.
Girls junior Olympic level three: Melodie Ouellet – 12th on vault; 10th on bars; ninth on beam; 11th on floor; 11th all-around. Larissa Laing – fifth on vault; 13th on bars; seventh on beam, 13th on floor; 12th all-around.
Girls junior Olympic level four – junior: Hadley Foster – fourth on vault; first on bars; third on beam; second on floor; first all-around.
Girls junior Olympic level four – senior: Cheyenne Choo – sixth on vault; fourth on bars; sixth on beam; second on floor; fourth all-around. Elise English – seventh on vault; first on bars; fifth on beam; fourth on floor; fifth all-around.
Athletes excel in ‘fun’ categories
Powell River athletes also participated in fun contests and won all the categories: The blooper contest went to Larissa Laing on the bars, who showed a great attitude despite a mistake. The handstand contest was won by Cheyenne Choo, who held her handstand the longest without moving. The entire team won the best distance cheer.
Videos of the contests are posted on the gym’s Instagram account: instagram.com/prgymnastics.
In addition, English won the Christy Fraser Memorial Award. According to the release, this award is given to an athlete who demonstrates the same attributes Christy had shown before she passed away at a young age in 1992.
“Elise has incredible team spirit and always has a grin on her face,” stated Pena. “It was an honour to put her name forth.”
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Inaugural Lower Mainland Meet for Junior Gymnastics Team
Powell River’s Junior Gymnastics Team leapt over the waters to attend the 25th Annual Christy Fraser Memorial Invitational meet in Langley, BC.
This was the inaugural trip for the Junior Team to attend one of the larger Lower Mainland meets. This annual meet in Langley hosts over 700 athletes over two days.
Coach Desiree Young was extremely pleased with the girls’ performances given that every athlete placed in the Top 10 for their division. As a combined team, the 6 girls brought home an impressive 3 Gold medals, 2 Silver Medals, 3 Bronze medals and 21 Top 10 Placement ribbons.
Olivia Raffin was the overall winner for the Junior Olympic Level 1 category. She brought home 5 medals including the Gold All Around, also bring home a gold for beam, silvers for bars and floor and a bronze for vault.
Larissa Laing brought home the Gold medal for vault, the Bronze medal for bars, 6th for floor, 7th for beam, placing her 4th All Around.
Picture left to right: Samantha Lambert, Pangiota Rounis, Olivia Raffin, Larissa Laing, Kyla Randle
Panagiota Rounis brought home the Bronze medal for bars, 4th for beam, 7th for vault, 9th for floor, placing her 7th All Around.
Samantha Lambert brought home 4th for bars, 5th for beam, 6th for floor, 8th for vault, placing her 6th All Around.
Kyla Randle brought home 4th for floor, 5th for bars, 9th for beam and 10th for vault, placing her 9th All Around.
Gabrielle Marshman competed in the higher Level 3 Junior Olympics category. She brought home 6th for vault, 8th for beam, 9th for floor, placing her 10th All Around.
The Junior Team will travel for one final Lower Mainland meet in May before heading into summer -training where they will learn their new skills for the upcoming 2018-2019 season.
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Senior Girls Attend the 2018 BC Gymnastics Championships
Four of our senior gymnasts attended 2018 Artistic Gymnastics BC Championships last month to represent Powell River on the Provincial platform. The Gymnastics BC Provincial Championships is the premier annual gymnastics competition in the province, demonstrating some of the best qualities of our sport: spirited competition, sportsmanship, camaraderie, and the drive to achieve goals. What’s more, it sets the stage for athletes of all ages and skill levels to compete for the title of BC Champion in both artistic and trampoline gymnastics. Over 2000 athletes attend this annual event.
Team members in attendance included Ekaterina Senilova, Katie Dohm, Trystinna Bailey and Hillary English. These girls train 24 hours per week throughout the year as they are competing in the higher optional levels of the Junior Olympics Program.
The top victor of the meet was Trystinna Bailey who won the Bronze All Around for Level 7 (1999-2002) division. Trystinna placed 4th on the vault with a season best of 9.483 and brought home the silver medal for floor with a season’s best 9.35
Teammate Hillary English competed in the Level 7 (2004) division. Hillary’s brought home the Silver medal for bars with a season’s best 9.316, finishing 8th place All Around.
Katie Dohm competed in the Level 9 (2000-2004) division achieving 10th place All Around with her best event being floor where she earned 8th place.
Senior athlete Ekaterina Senilova competed in the Level 10 (2000-2002) division. Katya’s placed 12th All Around with her best event being a season best 8.2 on the beam which placed her 7th.
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More Medal Winnings for Powell River Gymnasts
[Powell River, BC, May 8th 2018] A contingent of five top level gymnasts travelled to Abbotsford, BC last month to compete in the 2018 Twisters Invitational competition which is held over two weekends. The team earned a combined 3 medals and 14 Top 10 placements for the Sunshine Coast.
Hillary English competed in the Junior Olympic 7 division for gymnasts born in 2004 & 2005. Hillary took the bronze medal on bars and placed fourth on the beam, placing her 5th All Around for her division.
Teammates Rachel Peckford and Trystinna Bailey duked it out in the Junior Olympic 7 division for gymnasts born in 2000-2003. Rachel earned the silver medal for vault, 6th place for bars and beam, 10th place for floor, earning her the Bronze medal All Around. Trystinna placed 10th for bars and 7th for floor.
Katie Dohm competed in the Junior Olympic 9 division for gymnasts born 2000-2002. Katie earned 7th place on vault, 6th place on bars, 8th place on beam, 4th place on floor, placing her 7th All Around for her division.
Ekaterina Senilova competed in the Junior Olympic 10 division for gymnasts born 2000-2002. Ekaterina placed 10th on vault and 7th on floor.
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Two Powell River High School Gymnastics Teams Top the BC Championships!!
Brooks Gymnastics’ high school program has once again produced outstanding results at the recent B.C. Secondary Schools Championships, hosted by Windsor Secondary School in Burnaby, BC.
Brooks level 4 WAG team, Rachel Peckford and Trystinna Bailey, finished second in the overall team standings. Brooks level 5 WAG team, Ekaterina Senilova, finished sixth in the overall team standings.
Brooks level 5 MAG team, Dylan Werner, finished first in the overall team standings.
Graduating Brooks Secondary students Ekaterina Senilova and Rachel Peckford were the recipients of $4100 and $1200 in bursaries respectfully.
Top 10 results were realized by Brooks’ Dylan Werner, Ekaterina Senilova, Trystinna Bailey, Rachel Peckford and also by Powell River Christians’ Hillary English.
Powell River Christians’ high school program was a single athlete this year – Hillary English. Hillary finished sixth overall in the WAG Level 4 team standings (a team can consist of 1-3 athletes). Hillary’s individual scores were very impressive with two 1st place standings and one 2nd place standing.
All the student athletes are part of Powell Rivers’ Gymnastics co-ed high school program designated for Grades 8-12 and accommodates absolute beginners to high elite level gymnasts. The program is coordinated by Ken Holley and also includes coaches Paulo Pena and Desiree Young of Powell River Gymnastics Society. The High School portion of the program runs from November through March; however, there is a complimentary Teens program so teens can train and cross-train to compliment other sports from September through June.
Here is a complete rundown of the 6 athletes who participated at provincials.
Womens’
Level 1 Senior
Jessi Burge (Brooks – Grade 12) – 31st All Around, 23rd vault, 26th bars, 28th beam and 22nd floor.
Level 4
Hillary English (Powell River Christian – Grade 8) – 2nd All Around, 6th vault, 1st bars, 1st beam, 17th floor.
Trystinna Bailey (Brooks – Grade 10) – 6th All Around, 4th vault, 10th bars, 5th beam, 11th floor.
Rachel Peckford (Brooks – Grade 12) – 8th All Around, 11th vault, 8th bars, 8th beam, 14th floor.
Level 5
Ekaterina Senilova (Brooks – Grade 12) – 4th All Around, 6th vault, 3rd bars, 7th beam, 4th floor.
Mens’
Level 4
Dylan Werner (Brooks – Grade 11) – 1st All Around, 2nd floor, 1st pommel, 1st rings, 2nd vault, 3rd parallel bars, 1st high bar
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BC High School Championships Results – March 10-12, 2016
Level 1 Senior
Jessi Burge
Vault- 25th
Bars- 25th
Beam- 24th
Floor- 27th
All-Around: THIRTY FIRST!
Level 2
Victoria Sliwinski
Vault- 24th
Bars- 32nd
Beam- 11th
Floor- 35th
All-Around: THIRTY SEVENTH!
Level 3
Victoria Lecouteur
Vault- 1st
Bars- 13th
Beam- 16th
Floor- 6th
All-Around: SIXTH
Boys Level 3
Rhys Tyler
Floor- 3rd
Pommel- 2nd
Rings- 8th
Vault- 4th
Parallel bars-5th
High bar- 10th
All-Around: EIGHTH!
Dylan Werner
Floor- 4th
Pommel- 3rd
Rings- 5th
Vault- 6th
Parallel bars-10th
High bar- 6th
All-Around: SEVENTH!
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Carol Lentz Memorial Invitational Results – March 4 & 5, 2016
Interclub
Hannah Simpson
Vault- gold
Bars- silver
Beam- silver
Floor- gold
All-Around: GOLD!
Olivia Blackburn-Hopkins
Vault- gold
Bars- gold
Beam- bronze
Floor- gold
All-Around: SILVER!
Cedar Galligos
Vault- silver
Bars- silver
Beam- gold
Floor- silver
All-Around: SILVER!
Kate Forbes
Vault- bronze
Bars- bronze
Beam- silver
Floor- bronze
All-Around: BRONZE!
Developmental
Lila LaRose
Vault- 7th
Bars- 1st
Beam- 4th
Floor- 7th
All-Around: FOURTH!
Raelyn Zakkour
Vault- 6th
Bars- 4th
Beam- 5th
Floor- 5th
All-Around: FIFTH!
Larissa Laing
Vault- 4th
Bars- 7th
Beam- 7th
Floor- 6th
All-Around: SEVENTH!
Gabrielle Marshman
Vault- 12th
Bars- 21st
Beam- 20th
Floor- 21st
All-Around: TWENTY FIRST!
Emma Young
Vault- 6th
Bars- 12th
Beam- 11th
Floor- 10th
All-Around: ELEVENTH!
JO Girls
JO Level 9
Katya Senilova
Vault- 5th
Bars- 5th
Beam- 5th
Floor- 4th
All-Around: FIFTH!
JO Level 6
Madison Belyea
Vault- 10th
Bars- 13th
Beam- 10th
Floor- 12th
All-Around: TWELFTH!
JO Level 7
Victoria Lecouteur
Vault- 2nd
Bars- 16th
Beam- 16th
Floor- 13th
All-Around: FOURTEENTH!
Hillary English
Vault- 1st
Bars- 11th
Beam- 14th
Floor- 14th
All-Around: FOURTEENTH!
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Christy Fraser Meet Results
Junior Olympic Level 1
Larissa Laing
Vault: Bronze
Bars: Bronze
Beam: Silver
Floor: Bronze
All-around: SILVER!
Lila LaRose
Vault: Silver
Bars: Gold
Beam: Silver
Floor: Bronze
All-around: BRONZE!
Junior Olympic Level 3
Gabrielle Marshman
Vault: Silver
Bars: Bronze
Beam: Bronze
Floor: Bronze
All-around: BRONZE!
Sarah Warman
Vault: 10th
Bars: 16th
Beam: 14th
Floor: 18th
All-around: 17th!
Emma Young
Vault: 3rd
Bars: 18th
Beam: 17th
Floor: 17th
All-around: 18th!
Interclub Performance Plus
Olivia Blackburn-Hopkins
Vault: Gold
Bars: Bronze
Beam: Gold
Floor: Gold
All-around: SILVER!
Cedar Galligos
Vault: Silver
Bars: Bronze
Beam: Gold
Floor: Silver
All-around: SILVER!
Jordyn Mackenzie
Vault: Silver
Bars: Silver
Beam: Silver
Floor: Gold
All-around: SILVER!
Hannah Simpson
Vault: Gold
Bars: Silver
Beam: Silver
Floor: Silver
All-around: SILVER!
Victoria Sliwinski
Vault: Gold
Bars: Silver
Beam: Silver
Floor: Silver
All-around: SILVER!
Junior Olympic Level 6
Madison Belyea
Vault: 16th
Bars: 22nd
Beam: 6th
Floor: 20th
All-around: 21st!
Junior Olympic Level 7
Hillary English
Vault: 4th
Bars: 12th
Beam: 9th
Floor: 13th
All-around: 13th!
Victoria Lecouteur
Vault: 3rd
Bars: 7th
Beam: 3rd
Floor: 5th
All-around: 4th!
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Island Championships Results – May 29
Congratulations Jacob Babcock, our only athlete to compete at this year’s Island Championships in Victoria!
Jacob got gold on high bar, parallel bars, and floor, silver on rings, and bronze on pommel and vault.
He got silver all-around.
Great work!
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We have a new vault!
And we couldn’t be more excited about it!
Thank you to ViaSport BC and the Kiwanis Club of Powell River for helping us finance this brand new piece of equipment.
Just in time for summer camps!
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Delta Gymnastics Invitational Results – May 8-10, 2015
Congratulations to all of our athletes!
MAG Level 1
Jaxon Pangburn
Floor: Bronze
Pommel: Bronze
Rings: Silver
Vault: n/a
Parallel Bars: Bronze
High Bar: Silver
All-around: Bronze!
Junior Olympic Level 4
Kaylie Keays
Vault: 11th
Bars: 14th
Beam: 6th
Floor: 11th
All-around: 13th!
Emma Parsons
Vault: 13th
Bars: 16th
Beam: 7th
Floor: 14th
All-around: 16th!
Junior Olympic Level 6
Hillary English
Vault: 1st
Bars: 6th
Beam: 3rd
Floor: 6th
All-around: 4th!
Junior Olympic Level 7
Jessa McLaren
Vault: 1st
Bars: 3rd
Beam: 3rd
Floor: 3rd
All-around: 2nd!
Junior Olympic Level 8
Naraa Little
Vault: 14th
Bars: 14th
Beam: 5th
Floor: 4th
All-around: 12th!
Junior Olympic Level 9
Katya Senilova
Vault: 6th
Bars: 8th
Beam: 3rd
Floor: 5th
All-around: 4th!
Interclub: TBA
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Gymnastics BC Championships Results – April 10-12, 2015
Congratulations to all of our athletes! Many levels were split into different groups. The placings below are relevant to the group each athlete was in.
Junior Olympic Level 6
Hillary English
Vault: 2nd
Bars: 5th
Beam: 8th
Floor: 18th
All-Around: FIFTH!
Olivia Warman
Vault: 14th
Bars: 15th
Beam: 20th
Floor: 6th
All-Around: TWELFTH!
Junior Olympic Level 7
***Each athlete was in a different group, based on age.
Jessa McLaren
Vault: 9th
Bars: 7th
Beam: 9th
Floor: 3rd
All-Around: FOURTH!
Victoria Lecouteur
Vault: 2nd
Bars: 19th
Beam: 25th
Floor: 30th
All-Around: FIFTEENTH!
Naraa Little
Vault: 2nd
Bars: 4th
Beam: 4th
Floor: 5th
All-Around: FIRST!
Junior Olympic Level 8
Katie Dohm
Vault: 4th
Bars: 20th
Beam: 12th
Floor: 5th
All-Around: ELEVENTH!
Junior Olympic Level 9
Katya Senilova
Vault: 11th
Bars: 8th
Beam: 7th
Floor: 5th
All-Around: TENTH!
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