The Quesnel Gymnastics Club took 21 of its competitive athletes to championships in Langley in April, many of the Quesnel gymnasts placed in the top three in events with Lancia Howe taking first all around and becoming BC Champion in her category.
Other athletes from Quesnel who placed in the top three in their categories are:
- Nova Booth who placed second on vault in her category
- Julia Van Horne placed first on beam, second on floor, and third on bars in her category
- Shelby Lust placed third on bars in her category
- Tahlia Denis placed first on bars, second on floor, and third all around in her category
- Ava Petersen placed second on beam in her category
- Kassia Kitamura placed second on vault and third all-around in her category
- Addison Strang placed first on floor in her category
- Rhya Jameson placed first on beam in her category
- Mia Lacy placed second on beam in her category
- Isabella Murray placed third on beam in her category
- Xaidie Novak placed first on beam in her category
Those athletes had to qualify for championships and Taylor O'Flynn and Erin Hipkiss from the Quesnel Gymnastics Club said they are extremely proud of how all of Quesnel's athletes did.
"We're proud of them. Even when you see them fall and they get up and hold their head high and smile and kind of laugh it off," Hipkiss said. "There's something really special seeing them fall in big time moments and seeing their reaction: get up, smile, laugh it off. It really shows the program we're bringing in as coaches that it's not really all about winning all those gold medals and stuff but taking that experience of competition and applying it to your everyday life of being able to, when you fall, you've got to shake it off and get back up."
Coming up on May 31 and June 1, the club will be hosting a hometown competition in the West Fraser Centre where athletes. May 31 will be an invitational competition which has around 275 athletes registered, while June 1 will be the zone championship competition.
The club is hoping the community will head to the arena on that weekend to support gymnastics, which they said is the biggest sport for female athletes in Quesnel.
"Our programs are definitely growing. Our boys program, our freestyle trampoline programs, they're all growing. We're kind of bursting at the seams right now so it's going to be a really amazing opportunity for the community to come down and see the hard work they've been putting in all season and give them a lift," Hipkiss said.
As they wrap up their season, the club is extremely proud of their athletes and they're looking forward to summer gymnastics programs which are open for registration.
