Hard work paid off this season for the Woolwich Gymnastics Club, who have finished their final tournaments of the year with a shelf full of hardware.
On May 25-26, the Woolwich girls travelled to London, Ontario for their last tournament of 2013.
“London was probably our best all-around meet for all the girls. A perfect way to finish off the year,” said head coach Maria Code.
Three athletes – Julie Code, Morgan Hanley, and Fiona Bevan – were named All Around Champions in their level. Code (level 2) placed first in beam and second in vault, bars and floor; Hanley (level 4) was first in vault and third in beam; and Bevan (level 4) was first in vault, bars and beam.
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![Young athletes in the Woolwich Gymnastics Club’s competitive and recreational programs kept their balance at the “Out with a Bang” tournament on Saturday. The low-stakes fundraiser gave young athletes a chance to show their skills in a non-competitive environment.[will sloan / the observer]](https://www.observerxtra.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/sports1.jpg)
Tegar Krieger also competed in the event, but while too young to have her scores posted, she walked away with a special award for Most Artistic Floor.
The fine performance in London followed successful tournaments in Niagara Falls (March 2-3) and Orangeville (April 26-27), both of which helped the girls refine their skills, said Code.
“From looking at teams throughout the year, seeing how they were scoring and what they were doing to get good scores, we incorporated that into our team, and it paid off.”
With the hard work over, the team hosted its annual “Out with a Bang” event on June 8, inviting young athletes from the Mitchell Gymnastics Club and Simcoe Gliders Gymnastics Club to Elmira for a daylong plethora of spinning, leaping, balancing, and all things gymnastics.
“It’s one of our major fundraisers for the year,” said Code. “It’s a chance for our recreation and competitive kids to have a fun showcase for their parents to come and watch. All the rec. kids, they learn routines, and they get a taste of what it would be like to be in a real gymnastics competition.”
She continued, “Our kindergarteners even did a demo to show their parents what we do in a kinder gym class. … They loved it. They got medals and certificates.”
Are there any words of wisdom for aspiring young gymnasts, hoping to leap into the club next year?
“You always compete how you train,” said Code. “You train hard in the gym, it pays off in your competitions. That’s what we found: the girls that worked very hard, they got rewarded for it at the meets.”
Members of the Woolwich Gymnastics Club will continue to train in summer and fall. Fall registration is from August 12 to 15.
